Fate Accompli: Spending Indulgences
by Krahae
Summary: Jinx's talent has always been that one in a million chance, but when she decides to press her luck against Trigon's prophesy, will her growing relationship with Raven survive? A tale of two young women who against the odds, find happiness. Part 1of?, DCU.
1. Chapter 1

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.**

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_Intro Notes: "Fate" will take place during The End portion of the plotline defined in the Titans GO! animation, reworked almost in it's entirety. Additional elements will be added from the DC Comics Universe (DCU), to expand the world and give it definition Eventual themes you will find; harsh language, violence, suggestive themes. Specifically, there will be female-centric romance elements. Some characters will be amalgams of their DCU and GO! representations, to give greater depth and allow more development. Eventually, the work will move outside the animation ideal entirely, into an Alternate Universe concept, in which the plot ideals I establish mature and grow accordingly._

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How does one describe a life? All the things that go into one? People, those we know are like the thesis statement, the punchline, the constantly changing end of a story that never really ends. All those stories, made up of chapters, sentences that lead us to the end, that end being the person we see. As you can tell, I've grown rather fond of book analogies recently.

Now, let me tell you about this one _book _I've grown to adore...

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**_Act One; Equal and Opposite Reaction._**

**Chapter One:**

_I Tuesday morning, 9 am. Jinx's apartment I_

The alarm was blaring unheeded for at least five minutes, before a pale hand snaked out to slap the offensive device off the bedside table. Starting not too distantly behind the hand, the arm bore rather nasty bruises, the limb leading up to the sleepy girl nestled in her bed.

She blinked slitted eyes at the room, the languor of sleep clinging to her mightily. "What the hell was I doing last night...?" She shook her head at the thought, trying to place the sore and aching body, the smell of antiseptics, the feel of coarse bandages on her body.

The last thing she remembered was getting hit with some debris after one of those seemingly endless exploding things that the gaudily caped leader of her current troupe of antagonists carried. The blast threw her into... more through a wall, which wasn't so bad. The tumble out of the building and into busy traffic served to be quite different. She winced and made a small sound low in her throat when she tried to move her other hand.

"Guess this means I won't be playing piano anytime soon," she sighed, listening to her voice echo hollowly in the apartment. Her apartment. How did she get back to her apartment? She wracked her brain for a few minutes and finally sighed, still drawing a blank. Feeling the effects of her meta-human metabolism still knitting up her broken body, she nodded, her eyelids heavy again with sleep.

Grumbling, she turned and tossed, and with a pained expression and a small whimper decided to sleep again, or try to. "Mmm, comfy comf- ow. The hell?" The girl's pink slitted eyes peered from between her disheveled bangs and at the offending pointy thing that had jabbed her in the shoulder.

There on the pillow beside her was a note, the pen having been atop it laying by her shoulder, falling with her shifting apparently. She levered herself up and read it slowly, pink brows knitting as she did so a second time, to be sure she didn't misread.

_Jinx,_

_The wounds you took should heal fast, with your  
metabolism as it is, but be careful of your hand and  
left side. You have bruised ribs, so take it easy  
a while if you can._

_P.S. Sorry, but I had some tea, while there. I cleaned  
up after myself._

The note wasn't signed, the precisely flowing black script seemed... almost meticulous. Precise was a good word she decided. The script was in cursive, very neat, the loops not embellished, the curves nice and defined. _Not a male hand_, she decided finally. Besides... tea? Her teas tended to the herbal relaxation or caffeine laden fuel varieties, neither of which seemed to really be a guy's thing. "You're really over thinking this." Muttering to herself, she got up slowly, fidgeting when her feet met the cool floor.

The author of the note was right, her left hand was still a mess and when she shifted her weight and the muscles in her back and torso tensed to set her upright it was agony for a few moments. When the pain lessened and her eyes cleared of their tearing up, she tentatively padded around her apartment, scanning for things out of place, things to help her figure out this mystery.

Jinx wasn't a stupid girl, not by a long shot. Quite likely the Hive's second smartest student, behind the child wonder that was Gizmo. "But he didn't count, really," she mused. "No common sense at all. All brains, no _sense_!" And it was true. He was brilliant, but too unfocused to really apply it. The Hive hoped to take advantage of this, at least as far as she knew, and maybe in the end the boy genius would come out of it all still with his own sense of self, and less a tool. She hoped he could get that clarity of situation at least anyway.

She shook her errant thoughts away, making her way around her home. The bathroom was somewhat used, the medical supplies rifled through but not disorganized. No clues there though. She shrugged and tidied herself a bit while she was there, and relived some of the pressure in her stomach as well.

The living room was devoid of anything but her shoes, sitting by the small table by her couch. The nature of her fall wasn't lost on her, and she knew a lot of the mud and grime on her boots was fresh, fresh enough to track at least. But as dirty as they were, there wasn't any soiling on the carpet. "They carried me?" Her eyebrows shot up and her mild curiosity piqued mercilessly. She mildly cursed her feline tendencies and went into the last room she'd yet to explore.

Her kitchen wasn't messy, but it was lived in. A small collection of plates, a day's worth, were dirty in the sink. She scanned the room and found the few things out of place. The tea kettle was on the stove, still bearing water she figured. One of her mugs was hung on it's hook out of her normal scheme, having already been washed. She checked her tea cabinet and saw the only package to have been disturbed was her chamomile teas, which confirmed her earlier suspicion. "Oh, definitely not a boy." She went about making herself a cup, trying to do so like she'd not been inhabiting this house, doing this precise thing, so many times before.

As she "searched" for the waste bin she saw her first, and only clue. The edging to the sink was roughed near the stove, by where her waste bin was settled under the tile. She'd repaired it, albeit not expertly. The result was that if you leaned down, and weren't careful your hair or clothes may catch lightly in the not-quite flushly joined edging. It was a minor nuisance, one she'd learned to ignore, or avoid. But there, trapped between her handiwork and the rest of the counter was her target. She grinned as her thief's reflexes kicked into hyperdrive, plucking the single hair from the crease.

"Found you," She sing-songed and swayed in place, holding the hair tightly in her fingers. She pulled out a ziplock baggy, and placed it inside, then evacuated the air to seal it. Reaching under her table desk in the den, she retrieved a piece of blank paper and small reading glass and waited for her tea to cool as she placed the subject of her attentions on the table before her.

"Now... lets see what we can see, shall we?" She crooned at the captive hair, her pink eyes glinting with the glee of the hunt her scavenging had awakened. "Oooh, I wonder who you belong to?" She grinned happily, her injuries forgotten for the moment as her mind focused on the task at hand. She peered through her glass and tilted her head, lips pursed. "Too... dark." She couldn't quite place the color, it really was too dark to make out well. It could be black, or a very deep... violet.

He breath stalled, and she blinked. She looked at the length and nodded once, her mind clicking all the pieces together. It was a little under a foot long, and would probably not be black under closer inspection. She peeled the bag open, and focusing all her attention, sniffed lightly. She sorted through all the signals her mind received, the chemical soup of the bag's polymers, the stale air. _There, _she thought and her lips crept into a half smile. "So, it was you. Why was it you?"

Her thoughts centered on a single name, and the smell she found very appealing, suddenly. It wasn't one she was unfamiliar with, she'd smelled it often, recently. "Well, at least since the Hive went active, and we've made contact with the Titans," she mused quietly, taking a sip of her now warm tea.

_Lavender_. Her lips curled up into a smile.

_I Tuesday morning, 8 hours previous. Titan Tower I_

Robin blinked rapidly as the lights in the briefing room flickered, the shadows lengthening around the person pacing, scowling in front of him like a caged animal. _This is so not good_, he thought blankly, watching her eyes narrow as she stopped and looked at him directly. She smiled very slightly and his blood iced.

"No, this is decidedly _not_ good, Boy Wonder." Raven's voice carried none of it's usual monotone calm, instead it was breaching into the shaky enraged area.

He flinched at her obvious admittance to scanning his mind, knowing that it was her anger that was taking over and the slip wasn't intentional. He hoped, at least, "Raven, calm down. Tell me what's bothering you so much." He hoped he could manage to do so, at least. If she didn't calm down soon, something was likely to break, and he wasn't sure it'd only be inanimate objects around the room, at the moment.

The other Titans watched mutely, even bubbly Starfire was cowed a bit by Raven's caged anger. They too waited to hear what it was that had pushed their friend and teammate into such a black... or in this case, crimson, mood. Beast Boy fidgeted with his costume, remembering something he'd almost written off, but now made more sense. As he called the scene to mind, the blur of pink hair and the limp body of one of the Hive members free falling to the street below, Raven's eyes snapped to him. He gulped audibly.

Her gaze swept back to Robin and through gritted teeth she finally spoke, repeating her mantra at least five times before settling quietly, calmly before their leader and the table arranged in the briefing room. "You were careless, and you don't even really know what you did, which is what makes this so pointless." Her black energy swept out, cradling her as she floated there a moment, catching Beast Boy's eyes. "You tell him, I don't have the patience right now." With that, she phased through the ceiling and they assumed, went to her room.

The room warmed and they as one took a deep breath, feeling the level of tension abruptly dropping. Robin turned and shrugged apologetically to his remaining team, watching their reactions from the veiled eyes of his mask. Star was staring at the spot that Raven had passed through, a look of obvious worry on her pretty Tamaranian features. Cyborg was blinking at the table, looking thoughtful but confused. Terra was leaning on her hand, tapping at her cheekbone slightly and thinking deeply about something but looking out the window. Beast Boy cleared his throat and grinned sickly, standing up to take the floor meekly.

Cyborg laughed a bit, and chimed in before his friend could start, "What happen man, you cop a feel on the way out of the scene?" The slight giggle this elicited with the team and Robin's glare lessened the tension, but the half metal man shook his head, apologizing to Beast Boy for his interruption. "Go on Gar, what's she upset about?"

Robin nodded to the green youth, knowing he'd been charged with explaining this, and not envying it.

Beast Boy wasn't really _sure _if what he'd remembered was the point of Raven's tantrum, but considering his being singled out, and what she'd said before storming out, he figured it may be worth a shot. "Um, guys I guess maybe she's upset about that one girl." He started, hesitating a little as they all gave him questioning looks.

He walked over to the main screen and they watched him flick through the files on the people arrested and the ones for the Hive members they'd come in contact with that night. One didn't add up and Robin paled when he remembered why the girl wasn't in the group they'd handed over. He cursed his lapse and nearly did so verbally when Beast Boy turned and pointed up at the pink haired, smiling visage on the screen.

"One of your explosives went off by her, and she was thrown out of the building," He paused as that sank in. The rooms they'd caught the Hive team in were very high up in a high profile software company, and they'd tried unsuccessfully to minimize damages. It was just nearly impossible when you have almost a dozen meta-humans and supernaturals and experts all at odds in such a small place. "I remember seeing Raven drop what she was doing and fly out the window after her, which is when that little geek kid almost hacked into Cyborg." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as his friend looked uncomfortable at the table. "Sorry dude, wasn't expecting that."

The larger teen smiled and waved it off, "Nah, it's cool man. I just need to install some security, for next time. No more chance of that kind of thing again," to emphasize his point he slapped the table, startling the girls near him. He blushed and mumbled apologies while they grinned at him.

Robin replayed the scene and remembered why he'd not paid attention past the throwing of his birdarang at the hex-flinging girl. Mammoth had just caught Starfire by the foot as she flew by and tossed her across the room, and he'd dived to help break her fall. He sighed and nodded at the screen, agreeing with Beast Boy's explanation as well. "That must be it. I was careless, as she said."

"But man, why is so bent out of shape by a bad guy getting tossed around?" Terra was looking back at them, her attention off the view of the bay from the nearby window for the first time this late morning. She noticed everyone's eyes on either her or the screen, and waved at it for emphasis. "I mean c'mon, there's always going to be a time when someone gets hurt."

Robin nodded, but looked back at the screen. "I think, maybe it's just that we forget that these people aren't just villains. Not just enemies." He sighed and sat in the chair he'd not touched since they'd arrived back in the Tower. "How many people saw Batman as a villain, before time proved he wasn't?"

"But dude, this is different!" Beast Boy gestured at the screen and leaned up over the table where he's sat again. "These guys ARE villains! We caught them in the act!"

Their leader nodded and stared at the place Raven had passed through. "But that doesn't mean we can forget that they can be hurt too." He furrowed his brow, realizing how complicated his position was. Protect the city, and the people on his team. And the people they fought? How could he balance it all out? But despite it all he'd never been pushed to take a life- yet. He hoped that day was far off still.

He snapped himself out of his darkening thoughts and pressed some keys on the pad before him, setting up the schedule of activities on the screen. He scanned the days and wrinkled his nose. "Too lax," he thought to himself. To the others, his words were met with groans, a nod, and some acceptance. "More practices, we need to clean up our style, be more careful, pay more attention." He added, more to someone not present than to quell the protests in the room, "and I'll be joining you."

Up in her room, Raven smiled slightly, not fully satisfied, as Rage was hard to settle down. But it was a step in the right direction. Next though, her thoughts turned inward, her confusion over why this whole situation had made her nearly snap and loose control of herself with her teammates. _In a way, Terra is right. Though it pains me to admit it_. she thought idly, staring at her ceiling, her cloak cast off as she entered her sanctuary. "But... how hard would it be, to be on the other side? To have something turn one of us into one of them?" Her voice echoed around her small room once, the last syllable of her sentence humming back at her. She knew why her thoughts took this bend. The complication of the entire night wearied her, and she shook memories of her father, prophecies, the whole lot from her mind as she recanted her mantra a few times. The meanings of the words, seemingly just pulled out her history anything but that.

_Azarath_. Home. The place where she belonged, that was what defined who she is now, to a point. Her prologue. Her beginning.

_Metrion_. The one who brought her people together. The unification of her people's good, at at once a reminder of what power could do, if mistrusted, taken for granted.

_Zinthos_. The light in the dark. That which defines it, by at once existing inside it and being outside it, different from it. The one moon of her home dimension.

All these held a special meaning for her. Each one contributed to her calm, to her sense of center. It was anything but a simple phrase. It was the culmination of that which made her Raven. Her beginnings. And as one of the few surviving people of Azarath, she owed them the due of remembrance.

Sighing at herself, at her own darkening mood and tone of thoughts, she looked to her dresser, knowing the silver mirror rested inside. "Not yet, I don't need to do that yet." She composed herself to a meditation pose, her calm unbroken for some time as she hummed lightly, occasionally the words of her mantra escaping the thin line of her lips as she spoke quietly in the dark. The memory of hurt, pink, slitted eyes, a soft lingering presence against her palm flitted briefly in her memory but the only outward sign being a slight dip in in her levitation above the floor of her sanctuary.


	2. Chapter 2

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.  
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What is it that knowing, experiencing simple, clean, true concern and caring can do to a person? Could such simple things, really change a person? 

Oh of course. Aren't we all, in the end just results of those around us in some way? Oh sure, we are ourselves, but it's a simple thing to see the difference in anyone, when faced with kind words, and harsh ones.

Take this for instance. A band-aid, toppling a house of cards.

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**Chapter Two:**

_I Wednesday Afternoon, Jinx's apartment I_

She sat discontently, flicking through channels, the latest animated feature not quite holding her attention. "Who'd believe that? C'mon. Metal skeleton and claws all snickety snackt?" She made a disgusted noise and tossed the remote onto the cushion beside her, sighing. Her slitted eyes glowered, and she leaned back into the plush of her oversize couch, fidgeting and finally stomping her feet. "Damnit, I hate being stuck inside." She peered outside and watched the lightning score the sky almost on queue. _Lovely weather, eh Jinx?_

Jinx stared at her HIVE communicator, the garish yellow thing a sharp contrast to her dark wood table. Her brow furrowed and she picked it up, it's weight a bit uncomfortable on her mending hand. The idea of calling in to her teammates lingered on her mind a moment, before she remembered that they were a pack of boys, the only other girl in HIVE having left not that long ago. Not that they were all bad, but not really what she needed right now.

"Not that I know what I need," She addressed her wall in annoyance, tilting her head as if hearing it answer. "Well, maybe, but where'd I find one of those at this time of the year?" Her grin softened her face, and she decided on a course of action. _Time to get out of the house, now that I'm holding conversations with the walls, myep_.

The pink-haired teen didn't bother to try and put her hair up in it's customary upswept horns, as he left hand was still too weak to handle much more than simple things. Her boots nearly had her in fits, unable to pull the things on with her weakened hand, and she pulled on a simpler pair of Converse instead. A pair of black cargo pants and HIM t-shirt completing the ensemble. Nearly. She walked over to the closet humming happily as she pulled out a hoody, a small smile crossing her lips as she put it on.

She dashed to her mirror, the larger full length one in her bedroom behind her door and pulled up the hood, zipped the jacket up and settled the dimmer for maximum shadowy goodness. She couldn't see her eyes, and the shadows were deep in the hood, only her mouth and chin visible. She spread her arms and let her imagination take over, her pale skin lending her a similar tone to the one she mimicked. The effect wasn't exact but her grin ruined it the most. That simple fact gave her pause.

_When have I ever seen her smile?_ She clicked her mental register of images through a number of situations. None of them replied with a positive, even though on at least three occasions each she'd seen the other Titans smiling. _Maybe not for the best reasons_, she mused, remembering the grin on Cyborg's face as he blasted Billy Numerous' clones into each other causing a wicked tangle and mass of limbs. She chuckled and walked past her bureau, pocketing the odd cash there, the remnants of her last few successful ventures. _Oddly, all those seem to be solo endeavors_, she replied to herself. _Maybe it's a sign, hmm?_ She knew she wasn't cut out for team play, at least not the kind the HIVE offered her. A little late in the game to figure it out perhaps, already being well established in the system, but hey, facts are facts.

Being controlled like a pawn was never her style. She was too independent, too self-motivated. At the time, the Hive gave her everything she needed. Contacts, opportunities, a place to show what she was capable of. _Such a child I was then_, she giggled at herself, looking at the small mountain of stuffed animals in the corner of the room. She sobered, the here and now catching back up to her. She made her way out of the apartment, grabbing a small bag of candy she'd packed in the kitchen on the way out.

The air was chill inside the structure, an older apartment building with a large central open area, occupied by a winding stair with a rusted railing, and the old elevators. She wondered for the hundredth time she was sure, if those things had been inspected since the quake back in '06. Not that she'd not still take it. Jinx grinned and trotted happily to the rickety structure, the iron grating complaining loudly at her hoisting it aside rapidly. She enjoyed this thing, partly for how damn noisy it was, sure that it terrorized the entire building with each use.

The other reason, was of course an old, deep vice she had. _Danger_, she grinned as the word dripped from her mental voice, laden with honey. She popped a few candies in her mouth as the railcar from hell made it's screeching way down the cables that it ran against. She loved it, the adrenaline rush, the test of her abilities. The way she could feel herself being so close to some catastrophe. It's why she felt no ill will toward Robin after all. She chanced, and the explosion, the fall, were all the result.

It took a few moments for the elevator to finally make it to the lobby, and she bounced out humming happily, a song she'd memorized that day after hearing it on the radio. She didn't know why, but it just caught in her thoughts, tangled itself up like a kitten in yarn. The tune was nearly mechanical in it's execution, but the words were telling true, and Jinx, always one to give in to impulse, found the chorus keeping her company as she walked.

She continued humming the song, practically skipping in the rain, her sugar-induced hyperactivity lending itself well to her puddlehopping. The Converses, of course would need some serious TLC later, _but hey, what's a thrill without a little spill?_ She giggled at her own silliness. The rain was light, the pattering of the drops nothing too bothersome yet. She enjoyed it for a bit, till the dampness was threatening to cause her hoody to start clinging wetly. She scooted under an awning and scanned around, biting her lip as she looked for potential witnesses. Seeing none,she focused her thoughts. Images of fire, heat, lava, warmth, the sun flared in her mind and her body temperature raised drastically, the elemental forces inside her shifting with her magic. Her clothes dried and she grinned happily. _Now! Where are those puddles?_

Jinx admitted often, to herself and others she was an odd creature. Her feline mannerisms, sharper senses, slit-pupiled eyes and athleticism all lended to most thinking that was all she was made of. Obviously, after watching her use her other talents, or being on the receiving end of them, changed those opinions drastically. She was a sorceress, her studies aided by her natural affinity for elemental forces. Most of her childhood her only source of control was what she referred to as "concentrated bad luck" energies. How this related to her elemental affinity was a complicated diagram of interrelated analogs of symbolisms, but hey, that's just how things worked. More recently, and outside of Hive observation, she'd been refining her controls and use of baser, more pure elements. It was a joy to find how easy the basics came, but she knew far more awaited her in time. She exercised rare patience for herself in this, knowing from her limited family interaction how dangerous it would be to rush things. After all, she came from a long line of meta-humans.

Her skipping gait settled into a more reasonable pace as she thought more about her recent life, the Hive, the Titans, and the newly found source of her mystical powers. Sure, her physical traits lead to her being an excellent burglar, but it was really her affinity for and seemingly singular talent of hexing that led her down the path she was on. _Who heard of someone who's only claim to fame being an ability to force bad luck on others, as anything but a villain?_

She had to admit, though, the criminal life really hit her soft spot for living dangerously. But how much longer could that go on? Soon, it wouldn't be the Titans, and reform school, Juvenile hall, or the social work network that took her on. It'd be the Justice League. Or Batman. Or one of those other vigilante types. And not all of them were so nice, she remembered. _Not many would take me home, patch me up and leave me a note, hoping I'd take care of myself either._

That thought crossed up her steps and she tripped on her own feet, nearly landing in a puddle but for her reflexes. She leaned forward and flipped her feet around, performing an impromptu forward somersault. Sadly, he reflexes ran ahead of her memory and the action sent waves of pain shooting up her torso as the bruised muscles and ribs there protested the action. _Oh god, should have just taken the dive, son of a BITCH this hurts! _She swore quietly, and leaned on the wall of a hamburger joint, arms wrapped around her, trying to settle her hitching breath unsuccessfully.

Her eyes cleared and something in her peripheral caused her to look up, and she blinked at the car parked in the loading zone, engine still running. It looked like... someone she knew. _Well that's an odd thought. A car that looks like someone? Wait... blue detailing in the form of circuits and... oh no._

Jinx wasn't a stupid girl, and this was suddenly turning into a potential catastrophe again. That was the Titan's car, she recognized Cyborg's handiwork. Jinx panicked and turning she came face to face with the one person that of them all, she was most anxious to see. Literally. The collision wasn't something either could avoid, and the packages the surprised Titan dropped were unheeded by her, but not Jinx.

She winced, her instincts going into high gear as she raced the packages to the ground, catching all but one, which she pulled a vortex out of midair to suspend it briefly, until a hand nearly as pale as her own tucked delicate fingers back around the handle. The pain in her head from sudden use of her powers, from the tripping fall, and abruptly jarring her hand with the packages winded the slight girl, and smiling faintly up at the violet eyes regarding her with more than a little confusion and shock, she tilted to the ground, blackness swimming through her vision but her voice coming before her awareness left completely.

"Nice... running into you again..."

_I Wednesday Afternoon, one hour previous. Titan Tower I_

"Hey, who's turn is it to get lunch?" Cyborg called out, just hanging up with the nearby burger stand across the bay. He peered around at the assembled teens and caught Raven moodily staring out at the rain, her posture slumped and a her eyes dull. He remembered how she'd perked up when they worked on the T-car, and hoped maybe a little spin in his baby would help the girl out a little. After all, who likes being cooped up all the time in her room?

"Hey Raven, why don't you take the car for a little drive and pick up the order, whaddya say?" He flashed his best winning smile and she returned a small grin, nodding a bit. The other teens' collective jaw dropped at his willingly offering the car keys to someone else.

Beast Boy was not one to miss this opportunity to freak out, and proceeded to do so, "Dude! I ask to take the car out all the time, and you offer it to her without even being asked? What the hell man?" He flailed at the air and pouted at his amalgamed compatriot.

The taller teen just grinned, ruffling his good friend's hair much to his annoyance, waiting for Raven to head back down the hall and get her civilian clothes. "She needs to get out some. And besides, she helps me work on the car, I know she'll be good to her." The ambiguous way the last sentence left Beast Boy blinking was enough to set Robin to laughing quietly.

"Lets get some game time in while we wait, whaddya say BB?" He tossed one of the wireless controllers to Robin and his best green buddy and flipped through the game console's game selection. "Hey, how about that new one based off that mutant animation that they show on Rerun Network?"

Robin made gagging noises and shook his head, "That monoclops or whatever his name is gets on my nerves. Sanctimonious asshole." Cyborg tilted his head, a small grin on his face then pulled out the old stand by, flashing it in the light of the rec room.

"Super Smash Crash Fest III it is then!" The other boys took their seats and Starfire lounged in midair behind her friends, watching one of them closely, smiling. She loved watching him have fun.

Back in her room, Raven picked out a simple high neck pullover, with a pretty dangle off the zipper, some black and pinstripe slacks, and her low platform shoes. Pulling on her blue hoody, the "Mini-cloak" Beast Boy called it, she grabbed the keys back up and made her way to the garage, the mixed feelings in the rec room bringing a smile to the empath's lips. She didn't have to breach the personal space of another's mind to feel them when they were this happy, content or... she blinked.

"Oh my, so that's what's been on her mind recently?" She peered upward, knowing perhaps that her actual presence around Starfire made her keep this new openly adoring feeling closed up tight inside. _Such was the problem with having an empath around, wasn't it? _Tiptoeing around feelings, around words. Was it any wonder she kept secreted away, hid from her friends so much. Her control on her feelings kept everyone safe. But at the same time, their lack broke her heart.

Raven sat in the car, smelling the scent of her friends on it, mainly Cyborg. It was comfortable, familiar. Infuriating. How close and yet far away, by necessity? And did they understand it? Probably, definitely not. Her distance was not only for her own peace of mind, but their privacy. Wanted or not, her ability to just attune herself to other's emotions wouldn't just shut off in their presence.

She shoved a burned CD from her hoody pocket and slipped it into the player, speeding uncharacteristically from the tower and over the water, her swirling powers parting the cresting waves, the car kept dry and clear. Unseen her eyes glowed with her tumultuous emotions, the blackness wafting slightly in the car's air conditioning. She made landfall and skidded the tires as she merged with traffic, giving into the music a moment, her driving taking on her mood, and that of the lyrics. The chorus came up, and surprising herself she had to pull over, her voice following the lyrics, the tears running down her cheeks unbidden, at how much she suddenly felt, how much it stung. She lifted her voice, her eyes closed while all around her the rain bounced, flitted away from the car, streetlights shuddered, pavement buckled and the guardrails writhed.

Afraid that her outburst would hurt the car, cause lasting damage to her surroundings, she reined in her errant feelings, sniffled her tears back and dried her eyes. She silently mouthed her mantra, finding it empty, powerless to banish the emptiness she felt inside. _Perhaps a trip to Nevermore would be a good thing after all,_ she thought passing the restaurant on her left, waiting to turn back by the next light, the median defeating her immediately. Gasping slightly for breath as the mood passed, more from her anxiety over causing a scene than her actual emotional lapse, she calmed, shaking the somber words from her mind._ Home_, she mused, _I have people for me at home. Am I really so broken, that such a song would call to me so?_ Quiet musings led her to more subdued music, not chancing the possible repercussions of another catching at her mind so strongly

She tuned the radio to a safe, generic channel and tuned the sound to background noise, not trusting herself to be in control at the moment. Something had broken her usually iron control, and it was dangerous, worrisome to be out among so many innocents when it was so.

_Innocents... _she let her mind open, taking in the mental background noise, her eyes narrowing. _Jump city had no innocents, it seemed._ She realized how dangerous this train of thought was, and shuddered. _Have to keep it together, Raven. At least till we can get home and figure out what's broken me up so much._

Keeping her mind closed down as much as possible, she pulled into the hamburger stand, letting the car idle in the loading zone, pulling off the clipped door remote and locking the vehicle behind her. She figured as long as it took her to get here, it'd not be long to pick up and leave with their order. True enough, five minutes later she was laden with packages and boxes, nearly blind as she made her way to the waiting car.

Raven was just stepping onto the curb when she felt rather than saw the person in front of her, and she nearly ran them down with the packages in her arms. _Oh goddess, no._ She winced as she lost her grip on all the various bags, but what drew her attention more were the shocked, pained pink eyes staring at her. She blinked, the space of a few heartbeats passing as her mind fogged over, before she realized what Jinx had done.

The dark Titan gasped at the look of pain and the feelings roiling off the slight girl on the ground in front of her. Her hands laden with the dropped packages, the air beside Raven swirling in a small vortex, keeping the one bag too many from getting ruined by rain sodden ground. She quickly collected the bags and kneeled by the girl, who she could tell had over exerted herself.

"Nice... running into you again..." Jinx muttered, smiling before she keeled forward to the sidewalk.

The words that left Jinx's lips slapped her like a physical blow, and she stood there in the rain for a few long moments, before she realized the pretty girl had passed out from pain or exertion or both. She snapped a black force around her and arranged her gently into a sitting position, against the wall and used another manipulation of energy to place the parcels in the car. She switched open her communicator and called Robin, trying to think of what to say as she did this all.

"Robin here, what's up Raven, is there trouble?" She could hear the sound of a video game playing in the background, and knew the others were nearby. She clipped parts of her reply off accordingly.

"Had a small domestic accident, assure Cyborg his baby is ok. I'm sending it home, with the food in the passenger seat. I have to attend to something and I'll be in contact soon." She could see the confusion on their leader's face and sighed, "I'm alright, I just have to take care of something. Don't wait up, and put my food in fridge, or someone eat it. I don't care." With that she closed the communicator, and pulled the unconscious girl back under the awning.

_This is going to sting a bit..._ she thought to herself as she enveloped the car and willed herself and it into the garage, possibly a bit too far for her powers and range. Her head aching almost immediately confirmed this, but she was far from finished. _Lets hope I have the reserves to do this, Jinx. Or we both may end up out in the cold a while_. She willed herself into the black middleworld of her power, and there was Jinx, damp and still out cold. The ever present blush usually dusting her cheek absent from the cold, the shock and pain likely.

Something inside Raven clicked slowly into place, and outwardly she stilled. Memories of the other day, so recent filling her mind.

_Her empathy screamed as the taller, pink haired girl rebounded off the first car, her reactions too slow to catch her first. The screaming that followed was deafening, a low keening that seemed to not come so much from Jinx as from everything around her, the wind, the streetlamps, the concrete. Her hand twisted under her, her body arching impossibly as she was tossed like a rag doll to the curb. _

_"No!!" Raven swooped down, her black aura enveloping her in the Soul Self, her form taking on the image of a raven, her emotions at seeing someone like her, she knew, possibly dead, at least hurt badly because of her carelessness. She had read the girl so many times. Her latent power, the extent of it clear to her. She would one day rival Raven, she knew. "And she was alone too." Her thoughts flew from her, as the great black shadow blinked, and four red eyes opened, scathing the street, driving the onlookers back in horror. People screamed as her Soul Self's form stooped, snatched and enveloped the girl inside her inky body. Within, she wrapped pale arms around the girl, touching her mind gently, caressing her memories. "Show me home, show me safety, show me where you belong..." she whispered in her ear, small tufts of pink hair, smelling of peach and some bittersweet fruit tickling her cheek. _

_The assault of bitter feelings drove the Soul Self into a screeching wail, the eyes blazing with held power, the trails of it drifting behind like thick smoke. It was all Raven could do to keep herself in check. Who knew the effervescent, bubbly villainess was in such internal pain? Was her outward smile just a mask? She pushed back, seeking newer memories. "Home now, Jinx. Dear girl, where do you lay your head?" She saw it then, the empty apartment. Far in the slums, but not the worst. She guided the great winged shadow as she started healing the thin girl, pouring her power as best she could into her wounds. _

_Soon they made it to the apartment building, the black winged harrier flying through the wall effortlessly and dissolving as Raven stepped out of the black mist, cradling the wounded, but no longer dangerously so, girl in her arms. She was so weary. The whole event had taken maybe a handful of minutes but the time she spent inside of the girl's mind had drained her. The broken home, the stumbling into power, ostracism. Then the confusion of the Hive. Belonging and being controlled. It was painful, to say the least. She would never see their enemies the same again._

_Raven laid the girl on her bed, and retrieved bandages from where she knew they'd be in the bathroom. She wrapped up the worst of the wounds, regretting that she lacked the power to fully heal her. She was about to leave, when the girl whimpered in her sleeping, and pausing she watched her face, for the first time really seeing the girl before her. Skin pale, like hers. She had delicate, high cheeks, with an ever present blush that seemed to dust them. Her eyebrows were a deep fuchsia, complementing her pink hair. She knew it was natural for her, like her pink cat's eyes. Her frame was delicate but decidedly feminine, with the beginnings of a beautiful woman becoming more and more prominent. Raven blushed as she found her gaze lingering on the injured girl's body. She shook her head, knowing it was likely the recent mental connection that was causing her to feel so attached to Jinx. She thought so at least. Again her eyes traveled over her, and she admitted that the blooming girl was truly pretty. Perhaps exotic like herself. She bent and gently brushed the hair from Jinx's face, and was shocked as the sleeping girl snaked her good hand out, catching Raven's own and pulling her palm to her lips. _

_It was only a moment's contact, and the mental jolt should have sent every piece of glass, bit of furniture and unbolted item within ten yards flying to it's doom. But the only thing shaken was Raven. She sat on the edge of the bed and leaned her forehead to the pillow beside the fallen witch. She blinked a few times as the feel of the girls arm wrapped around her own registered in her mind. Such a simple thing, the seeking of comfort in sleep. But how it shakes me! She's so warm, so soft... No! _

_She pulled herself carefully from the sleeping witch's grasp, her nerves, her control quite shot. She dashed to the kitchen and pulled a kettle and mug with shaking hands to herself. She stilled her mind and concentrated on the act of making tea. She retrieved a pen, paper from the simple study and wrote a small reminder for her wounded charge. _

_Raven stared at the closed bedroom door. She'd cleaned up after her tea, and the note quivered in her hand. Her emotions again running rampant, but still the room, the apartment was untouched. Staring at her hand she gathered her resolve and made a slow way to the sleeping feline girl, curled up on her side. She laid the note down quietly, and as she was about to phase past the barrier of the window, the girl's eyes opened. _

_"R.. Raven? Wha...?" The girl blinked and the vision was gone, forgotten in her sleeping mind. She settled again and the empath leaned her head against the wall, willing her to stay in bed, to not look out the window to see her blushing, cringing against the wall to defend herself, from herself. She used the last of her power and wrapped her darkness around her, pulling herself through it, back home. Her home, so full and empty, at once. _

Her eyes brimmed again, the second time that night. She watched the girl by her feet, cringing unconsciously at the cold rain. People were gathered around the fallen girl and Raven was torn, bowed in the shadows outside the circle of staring eyes. She could save her, take her home again, and risk the same contact, same tempting similarity of soul and it's rending pull. Or she could leave her there, knowing full well she'd be ill, probably direly so from the cold. Someone would call an ambulance right?

Raven turned, and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I can't... I just can't." She lifted her foot to take the first step and a voice stopped her, her blood chilling at the tone.

"She'll do, banged up as she may be." The mocking quality, the hushed tone caused her to narrow her eyes. "Tony, get her in the car, we'll take her in, see what she'll bring." She knew then why he was speaking so quietly. He and his... who and whatever were predators, going to sell Jinx to some triad, slavers, who knew. She didn't care. He meant her harm, it was obvious just his tone. When she turned the rain stopped, but not the lightning. If anything it seemed to find a focus behind her, and suddenly all eyes were on her.

"Get. Away. From. Her." She walked slowly toward the mob, her eyes never wavering from the place she knew her... where Jinx was. She faltered when her mind refused to finish it's internal circuitry, to call Jinx something personal, be it friend, foe, associate, acquaintance. The speaker took this as her resolve faltering and made what could have been the last mistake of his life.

He smirked, and she stopped, mere feet from him. He towered over her but still he shook a bit. Something about her was... wrong. He laughed nervously, and motioned for his troop to take the unconscious girl while he returned his gaze forward, not seeing the gaping looks that had erupted behind him. Max, as his friends called him, nearly soiled himself when he turned to see not some waifish girl in a hoody but a huge black... something, with four wickedly glinting red eyes and a maw of teeth like something from nightmare looming over him. Dwarfing him.

Then it spoke in a voice that he could hear in his head, and he clapped his hands to his ears, as did his troop. They all heard the words, the silent mocking laughter, the wicked threats and promises of what would come if they ever, _ever_, thought about touching that girl again. The images made him wretch, his body rejecting them. The scenes came anyway, the vivid imagery of him dangling from a bridge, body broken and tied in his own entrails, bound by them, while he still lived, blood pulsing out of his wounds as black hands, wicked claws rended him, finally hanging him by his own tissues from the bridge to bleed out his life into the bay. A black haze clouded their eyes, and their ears bled, the trickling red leaking between clasped fingers as she swept to her fallen charge, the Titan made monster taking her up again into the welcoming darkness and the arms of the girl inside it.

Max watched as the... thing ate the girl. He could only think of it thus. Then it bunched itself and less took flight as flung itself into the sky, claws ripping at the air, wings springing from it's form, rending at the sky in screeching strokes that grated on his frayed mind. The blackness that had hazed his eyes, and those of the troop of his flunkies cleared and they suddenly remembered many important things to do. All very far from Jump city.

Inside her rage-formed Soul Self, Raven again cradled the wounded witch Jinx with gentle arms. She wondered again, why it was she was to drawn to her. _Why do I defend, protect her so violently?_ She didn't regret the mental invasion, the horror she inflicted on the cowards she left behind. If anything, she wanted to do more. And this scared her. _What's happening to me?_

She again touched down inside the girl's home, and made no pretense at being subtle. There was no power, no energy left in her. She carried the injured girl, stumbling herself to the bed and stripped her of her soaking clothes. She felt the pallor, chill in her skin and whimpered herself, trying to draw on something, anything to heal her. Nothing answered the call, she was empty. A mocking smile answered the thought. _Empty_.

Raven hung her head in shame, then snarled, shaking it violently. She pulled the covers, blankets back and settled the pink witch there, and with a moment's hesitation, peeled off her own wet garments. She slid between the the covers, smelling the scent of the girl beside her strong and sweet. Peaches and that bittersweet fruit again. She wrapped her arms around her and made as much contact as she could, willing her warmth into the chilled girl.

With tear filled eyes, and a mind full of regret and shame, she fell asleep. Her dreams were haunted with images of the girl, terrified, falling into the cold void of the Middleworld, the blackness of her soul. Halfway through the night they seemed to abate, replaced with other dreams, warmer ones. She blushed faintly in her sleep. Pink eyes watched the color rise and blinked, full of questions.

Jinx felt... good. _I mean, horrible but..._ she shook her head. The warmth of the girl beside her felt too inviting. And her body was only capable of a few moments of lucid thought, and she knew she was wasting it in being confused. Instead, she did the only thing she could think of, to ease her sudden bedmate.

Jinx slipped her good arm under Raven's head, and pulled her to the taller witch's shoulder. The troubled expression lessened, and before she'd fully known why, she kissed the violet haired girl's forehead, whispering small comforting things. How she was ok now, voicing her thanks, and telling her it'd be ok, to just sleep. Somehow it all seemed to reach the troubled, sleeping Titan and Raven relaxed, cuddling closer to the now warm body beside her. Jinx slipped back into dreamless slumber, her reserves of energy tapped out, her body desperately in need of rest and mending.

Wednesday passed, and the two slept on, recovering both power and healing in small and large ways the hurts they'd recently suffered. But never once did they break the embrace that held them close.

And it was in this way that Raven and Jinx woke, two sets of eyes mere inches from one another opening at the same moment, the following morning.

* * *

Referenced Music: She Wants Revenge, Tear You Apart  
Avril Lavigne, Nobody's Home 


	3. Chapter 3

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.  
**

_I'm using the name that I've seen in a number of fic's for Jinx's given one, but immediately, I can only recall Japhith's "ReEducating Miss Roth". _**  
**

* * *

It's a weird world we live in, isn't it? Made all the stranger by us, I guess. Hey what other animal out there denies so much of itself, just so it can appear in control, when really all it wants is to feel, to be without limits and remorse or consequence? 

It's an unfair trade. Control for the loss of that innocent exuberance. What would change if we could recapture it? Would we still be who, what we've become.

Maybe not all of us.

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

_I Thursday, Early morning, Jinx's apartment I  
_

She felt the sun streaming in the window, merrily greeting the room in it's brightness. It glanced off her back, warming her. The comforter was toasty and comfy and all seemed right in the world. Warm bed, warm Jinx, warm Raven beside her. She felt lithe arms slip around her waist and she mumbled happily. Jinx snuggled into her pillow before her eyes flew open in shock, her reactions catching up with her.

Raven felt her dream dissolving, the light finally becoming too much to ignore. But the bed was so warm today. It was usually so chill, or at least seemed so. She figured it was the closed blinds, but she kept them so for a reason. Light just didn't seem to be her thing. She liked her quiet, her solitude. _Yeah, like it. Why do you keep lying to yourself, Raven? You love the sun. You love it and you deny it for your peace. _It was the truth. Oh but this was... glorious. She felt that Starfire was on to something, with that word. She reached out, pulling the warm, soft pillow closer, her arms slipping around it with a smile. The pillow mumbled a bit and Raven made a small comforting sound, not wanting to wake it. Her eyes snapped open and were met with pink, slitted ones, inches away.

They sat there, watching the other blink, afraid to move, speak, break the small tension that held this soap bubble of reality together. It was Jinx, finally that broke the silence, much to Raven's relief. She simply... couldn't trust herself to say anything.

"Good morning, sunshine." The pink witch smiled, and leaned forward, brushing her lips across Raven's forehead, the action causing the stoic Titan to widen her eyes. "Stay put, want to brush my teeth. Morning breath you know?" She giggled, and minced her way across the cold floor, the violet eyed teen tracking her like a sentinel.

Raven sat in a whirlwind of thought as the adjoining bathroom door shut and the water sounded, followed by a strain of cheerful humming. She sat up and was debating fleeing the bed, the room, the girl; everything, when she winced, the air biting into her sensitive skin painfully, making her very aware how cold the room was. If possible Raven paled more as her eyes dropped and she yanked the comforter over her nakedness, a moment before the door to the bathroom opened.

Jinx stood and watched Raven, casting her eyes around like a panicked animal. She watched the room, waiting for something to... react to the dark witch's emotions. She read the files, knew the Titan's weaknesses. _Weakness, right. If she feels, she gets powerful. That's not a weakness, it's a doorway. _But I wonder why she doesn't see that? Hm. She watched the pale curve of Raven's back, the sunlight highlighting it easily against her deep maroon sheets. _She's... very pretty_. She watched the fall of violet hair, the gentle curve of her cheeks and chin, much softer than her own. The smooth face, unmarred by laughters, smiles, frowning. Her brows furrowed and something inside her clicked.

"Not leaving so soon I hope?" Jinx grinned, and walked over, pushing the startled Raven back down onto the pillow and flopping over her, back into her side with a small grunt of pain. "Ooph, just be gentle, k? I'm tender this morning."

Raven's blush threatened to rival the sun as the feline beside her grinned, the smell of mint coming off her reminding Raven she probably didn't have the best breath this morning, having not had the foresight to bring... well anything. Here. _Oh like I knew this was happening. _She refused to look at Jinx, knowing full well something, some snap of an emotion, would cause a problem.

The pink witch frowned, watching Raven avoid her gaze. Avoid her, utterly. _What keeps her so distant. Why must she isolate herself..._ Her mind snapped to her own memory, childhood. School, "friends" as she grew up. How much she just wanted to run away from it all, herself. _Would I have been much different, in her shoes I wonder?_

She had to break this down, this barrier. "Hey, Raven? Are you hungry?" She didn't try to get close to the Titan, she could feel the unease rolling off her like heavy smoke. "Cause, you know I'm starving. Never did get to that diner, I guess." The witch flinched, remembering why precisely she'd not made it. "Sorry, uh. You like waffles?" She bit her lip, hoping she didn't just ruin any chance she had to get the other girl to open up with her.

Raven flinched and nodded, hoping the comforter muffled the sound of her stomach rumbling. She felt the sense of relief coming off Jinx at that, and looked up, perplexed. Being concerned for wasn't new, but why was she so damn uneasy around the other witch? Was it the knowledge of having seen her memories? Was it that connection that seemed to cause her mind so much turmoil, yet for some reason her emotions didn't flail out, randomly destroying things?

She'd have time as she made food, and maybe what Raven needed was time to herself. Something wasn't right, and she felt like much of it was her fault. She frowned inwardly at this but couldn't figure it out - yet. _Soon, I will though. Mysteries, she found another vice it seems._ "Hey, you know what sorts me right out in the morning? A nice hot shower. C'mon sunshine," Jinx grinned and pulled the blanket and comforter off the bed, masking her surprise at the naked and shivering, shocked girl there before her. She thought fast and found her hands, pulling her behind her, her back to the Titan masking her bit lip and slightly dazed expression from her. _Yeah, really pretty. Fuck. Surprised I didn't get slapped for that one. _

Jinx bustled Raven into the shower, the one thing she insisted be better than substandard in the apartment, the thing being easily a month's income to install, fix, adjust to the ancient fixtures. It easily took up half the bathroom, huge and new and shining compared to the rest of the apartment building. Raven gawked a bit at the size, and peered around as Jinx pushed the slightly shorter girl into the the booth, well, small room, and closed the frosted door. "Take your time, food'll take a bit. I'll find some of my clothes that should fit you, and leave them on the counter, m'kay?"

"Sure, thank you," the words felt hollow, more so as the echoing shower sent them shivering back at her. Nodding to banish the feeling of rigid unease, she waited for the door to shut and hastily turned the hot water on, the cold having made her body ache so early, so soon after her power had been drained so much, for two days in a row.

Raven leaned into the hammering spray, the mist from the contrasting heat in the cold air thick in the shower. She felt like breathing water. It was wonderful. She let the water pound into her mercilessly, turning in the spray, taking in the shower with a raised eyebrow. She saw not one but four shower heads, arranged on opposite walls. Intrigued, she looked at the fixture she'd used earlier and saw it had a small series of knobs, simple but subtle, easy to miss. She turned one slightly and the head below, at chest level before her sprung to tentative life.

The teen smiled broadly, and flipped all the heads on full, standing in the middle of the torrents of heavy water drops, laughing quietly at the wonderful feeling of the warmth surrounding her, drowning her melancholy and washing it away, like dust from her skin. She turned, loving this shower. She had to ask Cyborg if they could get one like it back a the Tower. Even though a small responsible voice reminded her she'd yet to check in with Robin, she wouldn't let anything disrupt this moment. She needed it too much, to relax.

A soft rapping on the glass caught her attention and she slid it open slightly, beaming at the girl before her, the widening pink eyes making her laugh slightly.

Jinx shook herself and grinned back, holding out some blank bottles, the contents a pale violet. "I don't have any normal shampoos and conditioners, I kinda make my own. Herbal stuff, I hope you don't mind." She blushed a bit as Raven stood more directly in front of the slightly open shower door, her form teasingly shifting into and out of view with the motion. She shoved her reaction to the back of her mind and cleared her throat nervously. "I uhm. Well that is. Your hair smelled of lavender last night, so I mixed up some. I hope it suits you." She thrust the bottles out and when Raven took them she fled, waving behind her and muttering about breakfast being ready when she was.

The Titan looked at the bottles and smiled. _She's so kind, for a villain._ A small laugh escaped her and she tilted her face to the water. _And I'm very cold for a hero,_ she thought without malice. _Maybe... _She reached out, her empathy easily finding the slightly distraught girl in the kitchen, fumbling with salt and the batter, her tongue stuck out in concentration. Raven lathered her hair in the sweet shampoo, very pleased with the lack of her usual shampoo's overwrought fragrance. This was more subtle, and she could tell the care Jinx put into making her concoctions. Her mind held it's slight vigil, and she nodded, realizing that what she felt coming off the girl was something similar to her own feelings.

Raven was a bit confused, but it wasn't unusual. She was used to pushing her emotions to the side, not diving into them like most. But where she was a calm, statuesque container for her rivaling feelings, Jinx was open, readable, simple and complex in the tsunami of rushing, retreating emotions. Like many, but she was very direct about it. It was... refreshing. _Like this shampoo, goddess it's amazing._ She shivered at the tingling feel of the herbals working on her skin.

_How can I be sure of anything I feel when I don't even speak to, experience them truly unless they overwhelm me, and then I shove them down immediately, like scolding a child? _Trigon was still a threat, that part of her life was still in jeopardy, fear of her father grasping, ripping through her defenses to claw at her for it. But it wasn't fear of him now, but herself that kept her cool and reserved. So long, without being emotional, and the charge of her powers behind it, and it was difficult to simply let go.

The Titan remembered the outburst last night in the car, the way she'd preyed on the minds of the mob. _This is why I have to be careful. My emotions are all deadly._ She sighed and let the water wash the shampoo, the conditioner from her and felt her calm settling on her finally. The shower did help, it restored her sense of self and her calm. She knew she'd have to have a long talk with Jinx, and probably would ruin the carefully made breakfast doing so. But what must be, must be.

The pink witch held a small, private place in her heart. She knew this. But that had to be all. There was too much for both of them to lose if it became more, Raven felt. She sighed and the sound reverberated in the shower oddly, her eyes going wide as she noticed a fading blackness around one tile, in the corner of the large stall. She went on her toes, feeling a chill as she saw the spidering crack that seemed to fill the square.

Her emotions lashed out. But not until... her face set in a grim line she growled her mantra, each syllable intended to quell a different facet. She snapped the shower off and stepped out, abrading her warmed skin with the towel harshly. The image of the tile, a sweeping, symmetric crack that arched at the top on either side, then fell sharply to a point. Another crack clearly defining a break between the two halves. A broken heart.

She pulled on the clothes in the bag, by the door. Still damp from the night before, but it didn't matter. Raven would be home soon.

The towel unwrapped itself and went to the hook as she extended her power, testing her reserves. Full, as she figured they'd be. _Traitorously so._ Her hands pulled, hastily dressing in the wrinkled, clammy clothes. A small voice in her mind pined for her to just stay, relax and talk to Jinx, put on the warm, cheerful but subdued looking pajamas she'd offered, and stay for a small while.

The voice died off as she raised her mental walls with a steel snap. Her gaze swept over the mirror, and the girl she remembered stood there. Impassive. Stoic. The Azar gem in her forehead dull, speaking of her calm. Her eyes barely glinted with awareness, the cold of her control even stealing the warmth from them. _As it should be._

The Azarathen sorceress swept into the bedroom, finding her shoes as she levitated a few inches above the floor she simply willed them onto her feet and they obeyed, knitting the laces as she stepped into the kitchen, surprising Jinx with her sudden appearance, quiet steps not betraying her.

Jinx turned and was about to smile and greet her guest, motioning with her unbandaged hand at the set table when she caught Raven's eyes. _What... did something...?_ She blinked rapidly a few times, the memory of the smiling, laughing girl in the shower, the confused, hesitant girl laying on her bed swept away by the chill in the eyes locked on her now.

"R-Raven?" She finally managed to stutter. She saw her clothes, still damp from last night on the girl. Realization dawned with a heavy weight and she slumped where she stood. "Oh."

Raven nodded once, curtly. "Yes." She still floated, but it only managed to put her at eye level to the taller girl. "I'll be going now." A voice deep in her mind told her to at least say thank you, but she quelled it with a vicious snap of her mental control. "Goodbye, Jinx," was all she managed to say before she wrapped her power about her, and was gone.

The pink witch stood, still not sure what had happened. If it had happened. "What did I do this time...?" Her eyes stung. She must have gotten flour in them earlier, and not noticed. She sniffled once, her hands clenching at her sides as she stared, willing the empty space before her to come back alive with a warm body, a smile, hell even a nervous look. _Something, please! Why..._

"Fuck. Fuck! What did I do this time, huh?" She glared at the bowl of still unused batter, waiting for some fruit in case Raven had agreed to something other than plain waffles. She snarled and bowl cracked, the mix bleeding out onto her counter. "God damnit, I tried didn't I? To just.. be good right?" Her mind worked over the last few minutes since waking. She really was grateful to Raven. For saving her, probably twice now. She wondered why she had, why she had bothered. It struck something deep inside her, but at the moment all she could think of was...

Her jaw set grimly. She got it, oh yeah. "I see. Just another villain right? Someone else to save, then forget. I missed the fact you guys only had one purpose!" She screamed, the empty anger in her voice cracking at the last second. She knew it wasn't that. She knew exactly why Raven left as she did. But it still hurt, and she still felt... cast off. Jinx swept into her room, tugging off the breakfast stained clothes and curling up, shivering, crying softly into her pillow. Her pillow, the other shoved hastily off the bed, smelling faintly of lavender.

_I Thursday, Early Morning, moments later I  
_

She felt the hurt and anguish, confusion and turmoil from the Tower. But it didn't crack her shell, not now. She was still seventeen. The prophecy had yet to play out, and it wouldn't be long before it would. _Maybe... after. If the world still stands after. _Her hope nearly choked her, with how bitterly it rebounded on her.

Raven stripped the clothes off her, and replaced them with her customary leotard, the cloak settling like her second skin, a mantle of impenetrable calm around her shoulders. She sighed, and it shook the door to her room. Intoning her mantra, she stepped out of the sanctuary almost directly into Robin.

He stumbled, and righted himself hastily, her cold gaze cutting into him slightly. "Raven, you're back!" He blinked and tilted his head, something with her seeming wrong. When all she did was stand there, like a carved thing, he cleared his throat and leaned forward a bit, trying to peer under the cowl of her cloak, "Hey, is something wrong?"

"Of course not, I would have called would I not?"

Robin shivered despite the warm hallways. _Yeah, something went on. Not that I'll find out, with her closing down like this._ He stepped back as her eyes glinted slightly and her mouth thinned down to a line. _Damn... _

"I'm closed down, as you so succinctly put, to keep from blasting this Tower off the map, remember?" With that she walked down the hall past him, intent on some goal. He caught the scent of lavender, softer, somehow more... correct, as she passed. It seemed a sharp contrast to her current mood.

"Hey, I like the new shampoo, it suits you," he ventured, unsure why. Hoping to soften her shell maybe, he supposed. The lights all around broke in unison, throwing the entire side of the hall into shadowed blackness as she turned and glared out... through the wall it seemed. East.

"Don't get used to it." Was all he heard before she phased through the floor and he sat, wincing at the sound of crunching glass under his feet.

"What the hell just happened?" He blinked, feeling like he'd been left out of some vital conversation.

_I Sunday Morning, Hive training and instruction facility I  
_

Jinx collected her few possessions quietly, covertly from her mostly unused dorm room, the lockers in the gym and the the few other places she could remember ferreting things away. She left notes in lockers, but nothing that could be used to track her.

She was deathly afraid of being found, or found out, and right now all she needed was time, space and some distance to get her head, her life back in order. _Her order, not Brother Blood's_, she thought savagely. She looked at the one remaining link, her back to the compound as a whole. The window before her open and beckoning.

The small hexagonal communicator. The only way she'd ever be able to get back in contact with her friends. It was the last, hardest vestige of this phase of her life to cast off, and she did her best.

She hauled it back and let it sail on the wind, up an up and over the main compound. She jerked her head and the thing exploded, the force of her will blasting it apart at nearly the molecular level. In it's wake she saw her handiwork, the wind bending the smoke into some simple words. A goodbye.

_It's been fun  
Don't get hurt  
Goodbye, Jinx_

Alarms began to sound, and the defenses of the place were closing it down hard, locking the windows, doors, portals, everything from the outside world. But it was too late to stop one young girl, determined and with a duffel on her back from walking strait away, turning her back on that part of her life.

_Oh, once a thief, likely always,_ she mused to herself. _But hey, nature or nurture,_ she made weighing gestures with her hands before snorting and starting into a skipping gait. She pulled a small card, with a name and some directions on it from her pocket. It was a lark, a shot in the dark. But right now, she needed something, anything solid to hold on to. She walked into the deeper, more civilized parts of Jump, and waited for a bus. Smiling, she hummed a quiet song to herself, finally singing once the chorus came in. It seemed like such a good... leaving song. A good bus song.

Jinx boarded the bus smiling still, for the most part. The people behind her as she did so grinned, one or two clapped. She blushed deeper and grinned back out the window at those who were still waiting, to make their way. She settled in her seat and remembered how hard it was to sing, recently. Her grin faltered, as she remembered a day of crying, for something she didn't even have. Couldn't have lost, but there was a fundamental _feeling _of loss there. She was hard pressed to explain it. So Jinx stopped trying. Her focus turned inward, at her resolve to break out of her Hive made chrysalis. The imagery of her floating out of the place a butterfly made her giggle, and she set her feet to swinging as the bus made it's way uptown.

She disembarked and the driver waved with a smile. Jinx returned it and skipped to the curb, humming quietly. The map she made at the compound was rough, but served. She found the Internet cafe, and plugged in the small laptop she lifted from the Hive mainframe. It was free of trackers, she'd ensured, getting Gizmo to check it out for her on pretense of it failing. _Hope they don't miss it too much_, she smirked and plugged in the small handset phone she produced from her bag as well.

_This had better work_, she mumbled to herself and glanced around the room before flicking a tiny mote of pink charged energy at what she hoped was the main computer there. She bit her lip as she hoped her leap of faith would pay off. _What worse luck for an Internet cafe, than the firewalls all going down, right?_

She was rewarded by the indicator on the phone going green, and she hastily picked it up and dialed the complex number, pausing at points of silence to make sure the other system didn't reject her. She didn't have much time, that tech looked capable, she saw. Likely he'd reboot the system soon... then she'd be back to square one. Sighing, she sighted the man's coffee, sitting on the ground behind him and with a wrench of her attention the cup split, the heated liquid splashing him along the thigh and back as the cup imploded behind the rip.

Mouthing a silent _sorry_, she finished her dialing, and waited. And waited. She was nearly ready to hang up when a female voice answered, static and uncertainty in her voice.

"Who is this, and how, why are you calling this... line?"

Her heart leapt up into her throat and she cleared it quietly, "Um, hi. My name is Jinx, er. I mean Jennifer Wrangler," She winced at the trust she was literally dumping down the phone line, hoping, praying something would come of it. Other than a trip to the Hall again.

Silence followed and the voice finally crackled back at her, "Hi, Jennifer. I... understand you aren't on the best terms with my... contemporaries in your area." Her heart flopped back into her stomach, and she quietly berated herself for hoping this would go any other way. "But seeing as you called us, what can I do for you?"

Jinx gasped and clutched at the phone, her lifeline and prayed, thanked, nearly wept at the relief she felt. "Uhm. Oh. I wou- Could I speak with a," she paused and looked around, seeing no one was at all concerned with her, she continued. "Could I speak with Zatanna?"

A small chuckle answered her as she blinked, smiling at the response, "Well, despite your name, you seem to be a fairly lucky girl. It's my watch, I'm Zatanna. What did you need to speak with me about?"

Briefly, and with much hushed whispering she described the skeleton of her dilemma. Lack of a teacher, the growing sorcerous urges, the control and and lack of knowledge. Her leaving the Hive, the goodbye message, as trivial as it might be to her what shared this conversation with, one sided as it may be. How she wanted, more than anything to gain back control of her life.

Another pregnant silence followed, but again that chuckle rescued her from the pit of despair she was teetering on the edges of so much these days it seemed. "I'm going to send someone to pick you up, is that ok?" Jinx made a small affirmative and the woman continued, "Meet them by the bay, they'll use visiting the Tower as an excuse to come pick you up."

Jinx's stomach knotted at the risk of seeing... her again. But she agreed, and closed the line before either party changed their mind. Quickly packing up her bag she stood by the technician, dourly sitting in the chair and nursing a sore and burned leg, and a broken computer.

"Sir?" She queried him, and he looked up with a blink, putting down the towel with a sigh.

"I know, the computers are do-" he stopped as she shook her head slowly and smiled at him. She held out a small card and fished around her bag for a small pack of rainbow candy, offering it to him.

"I'm... sorry about your bad luck. But sometimes things work out for the best you know?" She smiled and he thought how pretty she looked. "I have a good friend, who's kinda not used to being really good with people you know? He's a little brash, a little rude." She was rambling, and she stood stock still, collecting herself so as to do her best. She had to. She owed it to him, to them all, but mostly to him. He wouldn't be able to see it till it was too late. "But he's the smartest person I've ever met, and he's an absolute wizard at computers. He made this," She pulled out the laptop and the tech looked it over, whistling low at the complexity of it.

"This is amazing work. Who's your friend, one of the Titans?" He grinned and the girl paled, but before he could ask she continued.

"No actually, he's really young. And needs to get a good, real start." She leaned in, and pulled her hair up, mimicking her usual style and realization dawned on the man, his expression going from mild interest to fear, but she smiled, shaking her head. "I'm starting over. The right way. He needs to get out of there. If you... need help. Or know someone that does... can you give him a call? Tell him it's hard, he'll jump on it like it's the center of his world." She started talking in a rush until the older man reached out, taking the card from her with a smile.

He rememberd a long time back, when a man pulled him off the street, after stealing a VCR from his very store. This store, not so long ago. "Sure, what's his name?"

Jinx sighed and relaxed visibly. "He goes by Gizmo, but his name is Mikron O'Jeneus. Just don't call him Mick, ok?" She glanced at her watch, then toward the bay with a look of apprehension. "My... ride's coming soon. I have to go." She leaned over and hugged the man, before dashing out the door.

Looking back with a stunning smile, she waved and yelled, "Thank you!" before disappearing around the corner.

The technician looked at the card a long moment then grinned, picking up his phone. Dialing a rather complex number, he waited and finally heard a gruff, high pitched voice answer, "This is Giz, and it'd better be important!"

"Mr. O'Jeneus, a friend of your's just suggested you for a job." He smiled, hearing the line go quiet suddenly, the other party's attention all his. "It pays weekly, and I have a room full of electronics, and a basement that you can convert, as long as the shop stays running ship shape. Interested so far?"

He could hear the person on the other line chewing on something, a pencil or pen he assumed. "Um. Actually... yeah I am. Is Ji-" he snapped his mouth shut and audibly and sighed. "Is she ok?"

The shop owner smiled, and let it show in his voice. "Oh yeah, other than blowing my firewall to make a phonecall, she actually is why I'm calling you for the job. I figure it'd be best to work with someone familiar with her... talents."

The high pitched giggle set the man to laughing as well, and they arranged a time for the young boy to come by and see what he thought of the shop.

Around the corner, barely in earshot even for her feline senses, Jinx slid down the wall in relief. _He knew it was my fault, but called anyway. I hope it works out for Giz. He really, really needs to get out of there before they turn him into a mindless drone._

She hauled the duffel up onto her shoulder and made the first steps on a long walk to the bay, one that she hoped ended with her own happy ending, sometime.

* * *

Music: Avril Lavigne, Mobile 


	4. Chapter 4

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.  
**

* * *

Change. How hard it is, to embrace. We worry, that it changes us beyond the recognition of ourselves. Makes us someone, something we aren't. Perhaps we worry that in changing, we lose those close to us. 

Mistakes... I learned one. Changing yourself for someone else. No matter if they ask or not, it should seem simple, but if you change, will you still be who they see, will it still be you?

* * *

_**Act Two**_

**Chapter Four:**

_I Late September, Titan Tower I  
_

It was always during storms those memories came back to her. Honestly, it wasn't so long ago, but the impact of it all was still very fresh in her mind. Blame empathic memory, and the mocking of her internal menagerie of emotions.

Raven clicked through the channels of the television discontently. She rarely watched, but when she did, it was often history, or a documentary or some other informative program. Tonight, whatever forces controlled the satellite feed seemed to be having problems with the weather, and the result being only the movie channels were available.

The third click sounded, and the fourth movie went discarded. She found herself staring at a winter scene, it wasn't a movie, so much as a band preview. Idly, she listened to the lyrics, but went deathly still as they continued.

Glaring at the screen, the band playing in their wintry stage, she gritted a denial between clenched teeth, "I am not made of ice..." She knew, even after knowing her so long, the other Titans had similar views, misconceptions. Just because she had to keep a tight rein on her emotions, lest they break free and wreak havoc, didn't mean she lacked them. Oh no, she hardly lacked them, in all truth she was likely more emotional, by simple example of the control needed to keep them in check, than the others combined. Glowering, she waited out the song, letting the lyrics curl around her thoughts, countering each guilty association with cold logic.

_Cold logic_, a voice inside her taunted. _Aren't we the little hypocrite? _

Raven shivered as the tone of the song rebounded around her head, and neglecting even to turn the television off, stalked back to her room.

Slipping inside the doors, she leaned on them as her breath hitched. A book toppled to the floor ignored. Sighing she laid down on her bed, staring idly out the open window.

She kept this one open now. It let in the morning sun, and from it she could see the east side of the bay easily. Something about it seemed at once right but empty. Her thoughts, as they often had in the last months turned to the girl who haunted her nights.

_Where have you gone, Jinx?_ She was actually somewhat surprised at how quickly things had changed, after those stumbling, awkward days. Cyborg reported a disturbance at Hive HQ, but didn't have much data, some he was still deciphering. A surveillance recording was his current project. But the real difference, was in the people they faced now.

There's been no signs of Jinx in any of the Hive's attacks. Gizmo was also missing but when anyone brought the small genius up around Cyborg, he just grinned stupidly and said something about how maybe he found a better line of work. Most of them just assumed he was glad to be rid of the dwarf terror.

But it was Jinx that occupied the dark Titan's mind. She didn't have the right to be preoccupied, she knew. The way she stormed out of the girl's home was high insult, at the best. Add to that her disappearing act, and the results of one fateful trip and the ultimate product was one very confused Raven.

She was scheduled for patrol, when reports of the Hive lock down happened. Supposedly there was a reason, but she was late arriving on the scene to survey it, and was only able to take the data slipped by her covert agent on the inside. They were terse that day, less talkative than usual. It seemed like something serious really was up, but through all the data they'd poured over, nothing really came to light, on why or what had caused it.

That had been the start of a very strange day.

When she had returned, Raven learned she's just missed Batman, visiting Robin on one of his rare paternal shows of concern. The Justice League had updated their databases, and left some new data, but the Dark Knight had not lingered. Raven had returned to an odd scene; Robin and Beast Boy watched her like she'd suddenly sprouted spikes, Cyborg was pensive, digging into the data and mumbling. Terra was her usual disinterested self, but Starfire was jubilant. This, she admitted wasn't unusual. But in the collective mood setting, it seemed... off.

She asked Robin, but he was in one of his moods. He simply said they'd received the visit from Batman, and that there was some minor news from someone with him, but nothing she need be concerned with. She assumed it was Gotham news, and thankfully let it go. She had thought to idly scan them to see what precisely had happened, but before she had, Robin had pulled her aside.

The talking to she got about scanning, reading people without permission left her ears burning for days to come.

Raven had been sulky after, forgetting Starfire's mood and settling into her normal routine. Well, nearly normal. Some things changed, for little reason or consequence really.

Her blinds to the east, for instance, were now always open. She wrote it off as her room being too cold without the sun to warm it. Never mind her own thermostat, the heating system perfectly able to warm her room without making an impact in the rest of the Tower.

She meditated on the tower roof more, again facing east more often that not. The stars were so pretty that way, it seemed to relax her, thinking that they looked kindly down on her. The frequency of her meditations had also increased, her mind more often in turmoil. Her birthday was looming, so soon. There... were other reasons.

She waited a day, after the fateful morning waking to the warmth of Jinx's embrace, her exotic eyes watching her own with mixed fear, longing, caring. It bit into her mind like a hungry beast, how callous she'd been. All for the sake of her peace. She had to go back.

That morning she startled the other Titans, coming to breakfast late, dressed in a small black blouse, a skirt that brushed the top of her rather severe boots and a light jacket to ward off the wind. Robin and Beast Boy simply gawked, while Starfire looked nervous. If anything, the day got stranger with every passing moment.

"What, is something on my face?" She mentally smacked her forehead, knowing damn well someone would point out her wearing a small dusting of shadow and makeup. When that didn't bait Beast Boy, she became nervous, she needed out. Something was wrong, something she didn't want to be here to find out about.

Cyborg's lips thinned and he watched her carefully. They'd been warned this might happen, but how to handle it? "Morning Raven, what's the occasion?"

The dark Titan simply shook her head, muttering something about needing to go see someone, which again, set off the half metal teen's alarms. "Ah, gotcha. Well, don't be heading to East side, ok? Been a lot of crazies out there, better to hang out and wait this one out maybe." He caught her eye and shook his head gently. Raven's eyes widened a bit, then she closed down. Cyborg sighed.

"I need to go. I'll be back soon." And then she was gone.

The other Titans finally caught up to the conversation, Starfire morosely sipping her morning mustard. "Do you think she's going to try and see her?" Robin asked, poking at his cereal idly.

Cyborg nodded, remembering the small conversation their one-time enemy had shared with them. The small details, but enough to set her to crying, hitching her shoulders again. "Probably. Well, we may as well get ready for the fallout."

Beast Boy nodded and walked by, sighing heavily. Starfire was being comforted by Robin, who understood and helped with her open, often easily bruised emotions. She was worried for Friend Raven, how her heart would suffer at knowing her good friend was gone, far from her reach now. She was happy when Jinx had told them she was taking her own time, getting away from the Hive and taking some time to learn, be around the Justice League's Zatanna to learn more of her talents. Then she had told them, begged them actually to not tell Raven.

Robin had been surprised, but with a nod from Batman it all clicked. He asked what had happened, and Jinx had given them what he knew was a heavily edited version of the last two days. This left them all wondering what really did happen, but they honored her wish. No one told Raven that Jinx was now with the League, likely spending time on the Satellite. Robin personally felt he owed her that, as it was ultimately his fault that she'd been thrown from the building and nearly killed.

Raven was discovering for herself, that it wasn't just her that was starting to make changes. She arrived at the apartment complex but it was cordoned off, tape surrounding the structure. She located the Superintendent, or at least the man in the front office, and asked what was going on.

He was half done explaining, when the girl in the dark dress ran off, dashing up the stairs two at a time. "She can't be gone, she can't be..." His words cut her. The building was basically condemned, the only three tenants having moved in the last months. The last one to leave left the laws able to close and relocate the few remaining squatters. She stumbled up the last stairs, panting heavily.

Jinx's door was ajar, moving crews taking small boxes of things away to the elevator. The boxes were labeled for extended storage and her eyes widened. She knew... Jinx wouldn't just put things away like that. Not let another, unless she wasn't able to on her own.

She asked, begged the movers for information, and getting none surprised them all by leaping off the balcony and gliding back to the main office. She was trying to control herself, and the Super knew it, but it was still frightening to have things in his room suddenly start moving of their own accord. He really didn't know where she went, only that the moving and rent were paid off, the lease terminated. The hurt and loss Raven was feeling was a bit too much, and she turned inward, forgetting where she was and just folding herself back outside, through the shadows.

The Superintendent sighed, glad he didn't have to tell the young Titan that it would possibly be a long time till Jinx was ready to face her again. He lifted a small gold communicator, and with a few curt words he and Multiplex finished business, and the shuttle parked cloaked on the roof was ready.

"Alright Batsy, why is it I had to do all the work here?" Grumbled the other man, reabsorbing his duplicates and shrugging off the moving overalls for his usual green and black uniform.

Batman smirked, his cowl back in place long before meeting back at the shuttle. "You remember that girl, the slightly gothy one earlier?" Waiting for 'Plex to nod, he smiled. "Her father is the Devil, and she's about to come around to her inheritance. Did YOU want to try to calm her down?"

Gulping audibly, 'Plex shook his head and settled into the restraints for preflight. "Well, not that it was much work. But why did she leave that modified shower there? That thing must have cost an arm and a leg for a girl her age. I could have pulled the fixtures if nothing else."

Having been present for the young witch's breakdown on the satellite, Batman shook his head. "Memories. Sometimes things have more impact because of what they remind us of."

Confused, the duplicator shrugged and settled in the seat, waiting for the force of liftoff back to the satellite, and hopefully a paycheck. He needed to get new shoes.

Raven sank down against a wall, a few blocks away, her hand beating on the brick futilely. Tears came again, this time in frustration. _How can I do this? How can I make up for being... me, when I want to change, I want to so much. I envy everyone's ability to just BE, but whenever I try and step outside this cage I'm in, something slaps me back in!_

Her soft keening was only heard by one other, a small boy walking to work from his apartment, heading to catch a bus nearby. The thing that caught his attention, to the otherwise regular sight of someone crying in Jump was the name the girl called out. Gizmo, now called Mikron more often, emphasis on the Mic, was about to pass by when he heard the girl call out his best friends name. Curiosity got the better of him, as usual, and he peered around the corner.

"Hello? Are you ok in there?" the small technician called out, to be greeted with probably the biggest shock since the note explaining Jinx's escape. There was Raven, glaring up at him, eyes red from crying. Stifling his shock, and fear, he reached into a pocket and pulled out a kerchief, waiting patiently for the girl to take it.

She reached out hesitantly, then took in his outfit with a sense of confusion, finally accepting the handkerchief. She was confused to see him out here, in his game themed T-shirt and youth sized cargo pants. "Those aren't Hive standard clothes, are they Gizmo?" Watching his expression turn sour, she softened her tone with the next question, "What's going on these days?"

The younger boy settled beside his one time rival, and sat on the dingy street without a thought. "Yeah, tell me about it." He answered her, but with more a declaration of his own confusion. He sighed, looking up and deciding to ask the question burning in his mind, before the empath pulled it out of him. "You were crying, and said her name. What happened?"

Raven came up short looking slightly shocked, having someone not in her inner circle confront her so openly about something so personal. But she understood. She could feel his concern for Jinx, even her. She sighed and nodded a bit, signaling her willingness to speak, but sniffled a few moments more, clearing her mind. Settling her emotions, she hoped, enough to speak without toppling a wall on top of them.

She briefly, with much left out, spoke of saving Jinx, and figured the pretty girl hadn't mentioned it to her Hive friends. No wonder, it was rather recent. Then the rather... heated morning and meeting after her shower. It was heavily edited, Gizmo knew, but he wasn't a fool. Who knew what they did, but it's not really important now. _Something broke them both down. Jinx is why Raven's crying and likely... Raven is why __Jinx is gone. Son of a bitch._

Uncomfortably, Gizmo sighed. "Well, to tell the truth, I'd like nothing better than to tell you where she is. Maybe if you two could talk, or something she'd come back, not to the Hive, but just... you know." His blush spoke volumes to Raven, and suppressing a small spike of some alien emotion she nodded.

Continuing, looking away distantly the bald youth continued, "She left the Hive, after all." He smiled, not seeing the look of shock on Raven's face. "Put on a real show for us too, blew up something over the field and left a parting message," he giggled, making huge gestures with his hands in the air. The smile faltered a bit, as he went on, "Nothing mean, that wasn't her style. Just... be careful, and good bye. Then... well later that day I get a call, from a tech shop owner. Seems she got me a job." He rubbed a hand over the dome of his head and looked down.

"I owe her a lot. I knew what Blood was going to do to me, but what choice did I have? I'm a criminal, because I'm a freak." Leaning his head back on the wall, Raven noticed for the first time... how young Gizmo was. Maybe nine, maybe. But the things he did were amazing. What could they accomplish, in the Hive with someone like Gizmo running the technical side, his knowledge and experience matured? She shivered at the thought. Not knowing why, she reached out and wrapped the young boy in a hug, the two of them sharing a small moment of vulnerability, for their lost friend.

A few moments past, and she asked the question she had to know, had to hear an answer to. "Do you... think it was me, that drove her off? Why she's not home, not at the Hive, not... here?" Her breath caught and she shoved the urge to start sobbing back, as a trashcan nearby crumpled in on itself. "Sorry," she murmured dourly, pulling back to lean against the wall.

The small genius watched her for a long moment, then thought hard about the question himself. It would be easy to blame her, lay it on the Titan. But something didn't seem to fit. He remembered her note, the way the shop owner had called, what he said. It was obvious that Jinx wanted out, wanted away from the Hive, Brother Blood's plans and probably all the pain and possible repercussions. She was after all, nearing the age of accountability. Then... there was Raven's story, about the fall and her injury. _How close did she come to dying there?_ He wondered. _And a Titan saved her_. Any impulses he'd had to just blame and walk away from the issue dropped there.

He shook his head and spoke, quietly, "No, I don't think is was you. Maybe the timing was bad, maybe it helped her decide, or guided the decision in some way. But no, it wasn't just you." Sighing and rubbing at his forehead with a finger he watched the teen in front of him listen, nod woodenly. "She wasn't happy there, but she tried to get me out. Went to a shop to make a call, then disappeared. I don't know what happened after, but the owner always tells me, whenever I ask, she was happy as she left." He counted points on his stubby fingers, things to ease her mind, "Then there's the movers. If... Blood had just done something to her, he'd never bother with that." He tilted his head and looked thoughtful a moment. "Didn't the Tower get surveillance records from your mole?"

She blinked at him and nodded, "Yeah, I picked them up in fact. Why do you ask?"

Gizmo was puzzled a moment and shrugged, "Well, if I remember correctly, all the records have perimeter scans. As far as the Hive knows, Jinx left via one of those perimeter portals, the windows there. Hell there should be record of her fireworks display too."

Things in Raven's head started to click, albeit hesitantly. Cyborg's speech this morning, the Titan's odd behavior, the sudden disappearance, the Hive records, Gizmo. Watching the girl, Gizmo saw the wheels of her mind turning and laid a hesitant hand on her shoulder. "Hey, if you find anything out... can you let me know? I'm still worried about her." He looked down, realization at what he was asking of a former rival giving him pause.

She nodded, and patted his hand once, standing and making her way deeper into the shadows. "I'll have some answers, something soon. I'll find you once I know," Unknown to her she had just mirrored a sentiment voiced not too long ago, by the same girl her mind was currently preoccupied with. She turned, her face away from him as the wall rippled, the darkness deepening thickly. "And Gizmo? Thank you." With that the teen was gone.

Mikron was still sitting when his watch went off, alerting him to the nearly missed bus that would be arriving to take him to work soon. "Crap, here I sit in this stinkhole and chatting away the morning, gah," he dashed off, tiny legs pumping hard and winding him by the time he made his stop.

Titan Tower was a moody place these last few days, and the Teens had been, and knew they would be, having a lot more of it soon. Cyborg was busily working on the new runtimes for the citywide surveillance systems when he felt... something. The room didn't really get colder, so much as he felt it had. His internal readouts said as much, but he couldn't shake the feeling something was up. Shaking his head slightly he looked back at his screen only to see four neatly arranged red slashes glaring at him, reflected in his screen.

He spun around and held up his hands, warding off the fury of the girl he watched as she fully pulled herself out of the stuff of shadows, the darkened room giving her more than enough to work with. _Is that new? Was she always able to do that?_ He didn't have much time to ask as the normally stoic girl advanced on him, looming over the cybernetically enhanced teen despite his bulk. Raven's shocking, duplicate red eyes bore into his own as she blinked, her voice pulled it seemed out of the reverberation of silence on his eardrums.

"You knew. You all knew. Tell me. Now." He paled, not expecting this kind of anger out of their friend. He did the only thing he could think of, start spilling the truth, while silently ticking the communicator line to life on his arm, calling the other Titans to him. Just in case.

"Raven, please relax and listen ok?" When she showed no sign of doing either he sighed, looking away and gathering his thoughts. "It was the weekend from that day you came back, a Sunday I think," nodding to himself he continued. "Batman was due to drop off the updated J-League files, but he wasn't alone this time." When he looked back up at Raven, she'd calmed down enough to seem merely angry, not homicidal, her eyes back to normal and no longer glowing with repressed rage.

"Go on, what did she say," She tried to remember he was a friend. That something had happened she wasn't aware of. _Something had to keep them from telling me, there's no other reason._

He rolled his head, stretching his neck and settling back into the chair, nodding. "Jinx was of course with him. She's called the J-League HQ and talked to a Zatanna or something. They were getting together to maybe work on her powers, something new having come up." When Raven absently nodded, he continued. "She gave up the Hive, probably did us a huge favor too by doing it. Take a look at this," he spun around and showed her some data collection, correlating to Hive activities past and present. He hoped the distraction would give her time to calm down.

It was obvious to her, after inspecting it that with the loss of Jinx's magnetism and leadership, as well as Gizmo's technical knowhow, that the Hive was staggering on the ropes. Nothing recent had been even remotely close to their usual performance. Not only that, but they were literally hemorrhaging members. People seemed to be getting the clue, and leaving the ship before it went down.

She sighed, seeing the pattern she'd missed. _She was already leaving, maybe not how it turned out, but the Hive, and probably Jump. It's hard to start over when you have so many... memories._ She watched as Cyborg switched between data sheets, all showing different repercussions of Jinx's leaving. Still, she had questions, and wanted answers. "What about the surveillance records. Why did you keep them from me?" Her tone made him flinch, not that she was angry. No, he could have dealt with that better than the hurt, betrayed way she said it.

"Look Rae, she as-" His mouth shut with a snap when she glared at him.

"My name is Raven."

He sighed. "Right. Raven. She asked us to not tell you. If you'd seen that record, it'd be undoing what she asked. Hell even Robin agreed, after hearing about the explosion and all." Cyborg shook his head sadly. "She didn't say why. But... the way she was breaking down, how sad she was, we didn't ask questions."

"He's right, it wasn't our place to pry." Robin's voice spun the dark Titan around, and she realized that the outer door had been open some time, the other Titans witness to her and Cyborg's conversation.

"So you know why, you heard her talk about our whole..." she flailed for words and gave up, shutting her eyes hard and just letting the words come. "Connection, attraction, all of it. The night, the shower, the times I helped her." She ignored the sound of metal bending and plastic cracking, focusing on her thoughts. _I have to do this, if I don't I just never will._

"But despite all that, knowing she was, we had something, you kept it from me?" She shook her head hard, knowing the response she'd get, "Look, I know what she said, but do you think maybe I'd not have anything to say about it too? That I'd feel nothing?"

It was the words that came next, that hit her hardest. She didn't even remember who said them. Maybe it was even her, some sadistic bend of one of her emotions speaking her mind, when she would not. "But Raven, how could we? You don't admit your own feelings, let alone tell us about them. How could we have known?" She folded herself in darkness with a sob and was gone, leaving the broken debris of a chair and desk to clamor to the floor where they'd been in the grip of her power, crumpled like so much paper.

The silence was thick, and it was finally Beast Boy, his mind having been mulling over this for the last few days that broke it. "Man... what exactly happened those two days?"

"I wish I knew, Beast Boy. I wish I knew." Starfire moved behind Robin, and no one was surprised to see her wrap her arms around him, or his hand move to weave her fingers his own. His sentiment shared by all the assembled Titans.

_I Late September, Justice League Orbital Station, _Refuge_ I_

The strands of music ended abruptly, like many things that day. Jinx closed her eyes and her lip curled up, fingers massaging her temple lightly. Sleep it seemed wouldn't be coming so easy tonight.

She had no idea who's vendetta it was to foul with her personal life. Maybe someone thought after the incident in Jump she needed a distraction. Maybe someone just thought it'd be funny to pick on the new girl. She really had no idea. Could be a vengeful god for all her luck was managing recently.

But when Kid Flash had appeared outside of her room just minutes earlier, a bouquet and with a determination to see her on the Observation Deck overlooking earth, she wasn't really ready for it. It seemed harmless enough, not that she'd really thought it out. Maybe getting out and seeing the satellite in more detail would be good. _After all, not that I've been confined to quarters, but it's not like I've had much interaction with anyone else on this floating heap yet_.

As they'd walked along the halls, conversation seemed to be sparse. There really wasn't much to talk about on the station, and the young Flash's wearing of his costume, maybe meant to impress her, only set her on edge, made her remember her previous line of 'work'.

"So," She'd ventured, trying to fill the silence. "Isn't it odd, being called Kid So and so? Like do people ever make time travel, youth ray, some kinda comments like that often?"

He'd looked away, seemingly pensive. _Oh great, managed to hit him below the belt already. Go Jinx, the social adept._

Despite that slip, they wandered about the halls, and he pointed out the various facilities. She appreciated this, as no one had done much more than hand her a small map from point A to B, the former being her quarters, the latter being the restrooms. Given, it wasn't easy to tell even with a map. The hallways and almost every door were as similar as the last.

As they walked, she relaxed, and was beginning to enjoy her time out of the somewhat claustrophobic room. They reached the Observation Deck, and the view was amazing. Earth spun there, majestic and still in her eyes. She could see storms in the Gulf of Mexico, the glow of cities along the coasts, particularly the west coast. She imagined that one bright spot, off to the side of the sprawling web of what was obviously a larger city, was Jump, and maybe there, that little single glimmer was the Tower – She shook her head and banished such thoughts. _Not now, lets be here now. Not there. There does not want you, after all._

The voice beside her pulled her back to the present, "I hope you don't mind, but we took the long way. You're room is only one sub hall off the main way, after all," He grinned, which she had to admit, in the light of earth was a very nice grin.

She was about to comment that it was such a lovely view when a pair of thin gray arms snaked around her host's waist, and a voice interrupted her, "Hiya Wally, who's the little punk?" A rather unpleasantly grinning face appeared around his shoulder, and Jinx simply returned her attention back out the window. Somehow, the effect was a bit dulled.

"Um, Argent this is uhm, Hexed, a-" The youth was cut off by a snort from Jinx.

"It's Jinx. But that's ok, I don't really need you to know my name." She curled her lip and tossed the few flowers at the face currently wearing a smug gloat over Kid Flash's shoulder. As expected, the other girl snatched up a hand to catch them, the impulse of bad luck Jinx had left on the bouquet resulting in the thorns digging painfully into her hand. Cursing she dropped the flowers and stumbled, and the two went down in a heap of swearing and flailing limbs. With a sharp abrupt laugh Jinx passed the glaring duo and humming jauntily, left them to their own devices.

Once she's cleared the edge of the hall, Jinx closed her eyes, listening to the air whisper along the walls, and made her determined way back to the room she called home, for the time being. She didn't stray, and found it to be a bit further away than "One sub hall off the main way". No matter though, she was back.

So was that headache, that seemed to haunt her more these days. Every time she closed her eyes since she came here, it seemed to pulse between her temples. The only relief seemed when she was in the lush Terrarium, the oversize biozone that they grew hydroponics and what trees could handle the odd gravity. Soil and stones arranged around the inside lended a kind of homey feel to it, and when she could, Jinx would sneak off there and relax, laying on one of the smooth, large boulders to soak up sun.

For the time being, all she wanted was sleep though. The idea of walking along the halls and finding her way back to the domed enclosure and possibly into the Wonder Brats left a sour taste in her mouth. Grabbing up her headset, she queued a CD that she made before leaving the previous weekend.

It always set her at ease, and she had a clue why. The song was an instrumental, made popular by a rather gothic, girl voiced band, and honestly she only really liked this one track. What she sought out every time was the sound of rain, a part of the background to that song. She liked it so much so that she'd checkered the CD with them. The song, a recording of a storm, then the song again, till there was no more room. Setting her small player to repeat, she put on the ear encompassing headphones, huge bulky things made to keep music in and everything else out, and lay down in the dark, windowless room again, like last night and the night before. And like both, she said one thing, to the dark before sleep. It was a silly thing, but knowing the person she was speaking to couldn't hear her, it gave her some measure of courage. It was silly, childish, and pricked at her eyes every time. But it was fast becoming habit.

"I miss you. Sleep well, wherever you are, sunshine." Despite the whispered sentiment, the music, and the exhausted girl trying desperately to sink into sleep, it would not come easily.

* * *

Music from A Fire Inside, Love Like Winter.  
I also allude to the second refrain, from Evanescence, Eternal. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.  
**

* * *

Time heals all, the saying goes. 

Time is a relative thing though, one must feel things change, to experience it's flow. But when it doesn't seem to pass, what do you do?

Why, smash the hourglass and toss some sand over your shoulder. Time can move behind you in many ways, after all.

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

_I Mid October, Justice League Orbital Station, _Refuge_ I  
_

The earth was so pretty, spinning out in that massive blackness. Jinx smiled, thinking about how much she enjoyed mornings, waking to feel that sun, peeking over the gentle curve of the horizon, on her back and face. She wanted to go home, but it wasn't quite time yet. She was almost done with her accelerated training, but there was a bit more to do.

Jinx's imagination pulled a face into the darkness, and she smiled. The glare from the sun on the protective shielding glinted like violet eyes in her memory. Smiling, with just a tinge of sadness, she greeted the day and that image finally, "Good morning, sunshine."

A rather cynical voice, pretty despite it, made her laugh. "Well, isn't that the most cliché thing I could hear in this room." Zatanna walked, well more sauntered, up to the railing beside Jinx and ruffled her hair. If it'd been up in her usual horns this would have been aggravating, but it was still down, damp from a morning shower. She smiled at her mentor, Zatanna's usual costume absent this morning, like many since she arrived. Her curly black hair was down, tangling up around her shoulders, and her blue eyes carried their usual glint of mischief, something Jinx was thankful for. _I was lucky to have found her to help, she really does understand me_. In the costume's place was a pretty embroidered blouse, and a pair of work worn jeans. Study clothes, Jinx thought, looking forward to a day of bookworming already.

_It's odd_, Jinx thought. _When I got here, everyone was always going around in their costumes, jump suits, power armor or whatnot. Now, it's like casual Friday half the time. Wonder if it's like... a defense mechanism or something_. Not that the masked ones every deviated from that. She giggled at the picture her mind painted, Batman in a pair of sweats, with his cowl in place.

"Morning Zah, how's that sleep thing going?" Jinx stretched, catlike and sighed, Zatanna scratching at her back as she did so, unable to resist taunting her young charge.

Laughing quietly, she patted the still sleepy girl on the back. "Pretty well, actually. You?" She knew the answer, from the way Jinx's face fell a bit, and decided to change the subject instead. "It's almost Halloween, did you have any special plans?"

Cocking an eyebrow at her mentor, Jinx shook her head. "Not exactly able to do much planning from here, y'know." She blinked at Zatanna's incredulous look. "What?"

"No one told you?" She blinked at Jinx's blank stare and threw up her hands in exasperation. Grabbing the other girl's arm she pulled her along at a fast pace. "C'mon, I can't believe you've been here a month and no one explained this. I would have but... hell's bells it's like showing people the bathroom!"

"I have a map to those!" Jinx quipped, confused at Zatanna's shifting mood. _Did I do something wrong?_

The sorceress grinned back at her and shook her head. "Sorry sweety, I should have asked a while back if you'd known about this. I forgot you came up on a Javelin that Batman was repairing, and not this way." She looked uncharacteristically sheepish and shook her head again, "We don't actually use those as much as you'd think now."

They reached the elder witch's goal and Jinx blinked as another nondescript door _swooshed_ open, and there before her was a rather large, rather ornate archway. "M'kay, so there's a McDee's nearby?" She squeaked as Zatanna grabbed her and rubbed her knuckles over her hair, "Hey! Ow! Ok ok, what is that then?" She tried unsuccessfully to flatten her hair back down as she watched the arch crackle to life.

Zatanna grinned at her timing, and gestured at the now electrically arcing machine. "This is the Slideways, it connects key deployment points on the globe, and some other tactically important places, directly to the Refuge." She grinned smugly at Jinx's gawking and both women's eyes turned to see a rather flustered John Stewart, a suit and snappy bowler on his head, step out of the darkening arch.

"Hate that thin- Oh, morning Zatanna, who's your friend?" The elder Lantern smiled and extended a hand to Jinx, which she shook nervously. "Cute hair, by the way," He winked and turned his attention to Zatanna, as the young witch blushed furiously.

"Morning John, this is Jinx, she's the one that's been taking up all my time recently." Hugging her long time friend companionably, Zatanna gathered up Jinx and they all moved toward the mess hall, an unstated agreement to get something to eat agreed to when Jinx's stomach rumbled noisily. "How's business on the Rock?" The League members who were stationed on the Refuge often referred to Earth as such, partly to make light of the common nostalgia and homesickness most felt.

John nodded and adjusted his hat, looking just a bit out of place in civilian clothing. "Pretty well, I have a trial date today, witness work. Otherwise there's only the-" He paused at a warning glance from Zatanna and remembered the printed memo he'd received the other day, putting the pieces together. "Er, Halloween preparations. Few people doing things, you know. The usual."

Jinx didn't miss the look that passed between the two, or the hastily changed subject. _I'll ask her about that later. Something's up._

They arrived to the hall, and to Jinx's annoyance the Wonder Brats, Kid Flash and Whatever-her-name was, Ardent, no _Argent_, that's it, were just sitting down, waving blithely at her chaperons. As the adults turned to the entrance to the kitchens, the expressions on the other two teens faces visibly dropped, to which Jinx just grinned widely, sticking her tongue out, leaning over and wiggling slightly in place.

Argent turned a lovely shade of puce, and she heard Zatanna's lilting laugh from behind her. Blushing slightly at her display being seen, she quickly caught up and grinned nervously at her mentor in apology. "Sorry, they just get to me sometimes."

"Oh it's ok honey, not like we all get along, all the time." She and Stewart were picking at the small saran wrapped bowls, piling what they wanted on the trays as Jinx collected her own, opting for some fruit, toast and juice. She'd been rather fond of strawberries lately, so with two small bowls of those, some cream, and toast she trotted happily behind her impromptu company as they found a table, somewhat off the main thoroughfare.

They ate in silence a while, John amused at Jinx's feline tendencies. "So I hear Zatanna's been spending a lot of time with you, in one of our local time twisteries." He was peeling a banana and watching the young girl nod to him in agreement. "So what's your specialty then, I haven't seen you around much, so forgive me not being in the know, as it were."

She shook her head and smiled, sipping some juice to wash down that last mouthful. "No, it's ok. I didn't get the welcome packet so I've been pretty much just between my room and the practice hall." She motioned to her mentor and continued, "Zatanna's been teaching me more about elemental magic, which it seems I have a talent for. Well that and my namesake." She grinned mischievously and looked at Zatanna with pleading eyes. "Can I? Please?"

Stifling a giggle, Zatanna nodded but held up a warning finger. "Nothing serious! And it better not get anyone hurt."

John grinned to himself, knowing a small bit about the exuberant girl and the other two resident teen's quarrels. That she seemed to come out on top despite the other being trained Titans seemed to speak volumes about her ability. Though being a fine, upstanding League member, he did enjoy the antics of their younger counterparts.

Jinx pulled out a compact and scanned the room behind her, seeing the Wonder Brats deep in conversation. She grinned wickedly and narrowed her now pink-lit eyes.

With a yelp, Kid Flash's chair collapsed, neatly dumping him into the floor, but the real amusement occurred as his flailing hand smacked the tray in front of him, abruptly sending the collected contents, cereal, juice, toast with jam all careening into his table companion. Argent fairly fumed as a piece of toast slid off her face, leaving the jam behind, and the cold cereal soaked into her typically gothic clothing.

Closing the compact she grinned at her elder companions, both trying unsuccessfully to hide their own laughter. "Too much?", she asked, nibbling on a corner of her toast with a glint in her eyes.

Zatanna gripped her sides in silent mirth, shaking her head and trying not to laugh any louder. "No, but almost. I'm surprised those two don't complain to the management sometimes." She gave Jinx a covert thumb's up as Stewart watched the two with a smile.

_Oh now I see, Trouble and Trouble Jr. hmm? Well at least it's a good working relationship. And I have to admit, that snotty punk needs to get taken down a notch now and then._ He smiled into his juice as Argent stormed out, still fuming at the young Flash still floundering on the ground. _And he needs to learn some manners, bit too flirtatious. Which likely fuels this one's temper, I wager._

Conversation was light, as they finished breakfast, and Jinx decided to broach the subject burning in her mind since earlier. Noticing the Lantern was studying his morning paper, she figured a distracted target was a defenseless one, and struck as he narrowed his brows at one article. "So, October.. . Not much up this month I wager. Or is there, John? Anything of interest this month?" She noticed Zatanna's look of alarm, her mouth full of cottage cheese but the elder Lantern was already talking, her tactic a blazing success.

"Not much, Raven's birthday mostly. We're on guard for her father Trigon to make his mo-" He bent away from Zatanna, reaching down to rub his shin as he grumbled. "Ow, damn it Zatanna what was... " He saw the lost look on Jinx's face and realized what had just happened.

_Oh... it's her birthday soon. And... her father? What's this about?_ She stared ahead, unseeing the apologetic look on Stewart's face as Zatanna huffed in annoyance.

"Jinx. Hon, come on, we need to talk." Zatanna stood and walked out of the mess hall, a woodenly stoic Jinx following some distance behind, still lost in thought.

They traced the the usual path they made in the mornings after breakfast, the practice halls looming before them, aligned along the central axis of the station. The huge room's vaulted ceiling rose above them, and seemed to mold itself to the station's structure seamlessly. The main room was for team use, but there were many, smaller adjoining ones lined around the perimeter, each catering to a different specialty.

Currently, one was locked up, only admitting the two of them, a special kind of time bending field in place to allow them a kind of accelerated training. Out of phase with the normal progression of time, they woke each third day to leave and go about normal station business, only to find themselves stepping out of the training room the afternoon they entered. So far, it's benefit had been pronounced. Four months had passed and Jinx's control of her powers was nearly complete.

_Not that I know precisely what to do with them, but that'll come in time I suppose. Having all the building blocks in hand is more than how I started_, she mused. The morning's conversation, antics all forgotten as the field tripped over her skin, sending chills along her spine. Her mind wrapped carefully around the news of Raven, worrying at it ceaselessly.

She noticed Zatanna's rather worn look as she made a seat for herself in the half lit room. It was your stereotypical mage's tower room, complete with library, huge open circle for spells, and laboratory to the side. Jinx sat some small distance away, preoccupied with thoughts of John's slip earlier.

Zatanna scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her student, and waited for her to relax. "No practice today, lets talk a bit, ok?" She ducked her head to see the mop of pink hair nod, and smiled a bit. "Ok, now tell me, why did you trick John like that? He's a nice guy, and probably feels horrible about it now."

"I know, I'm sorry." She sniffled a bit and sighed, "I just really... something hidden you know? Always the most interesting." She raised a finger at herself and grinned weakly, blinking. "Curiosity, cats, all that."

"Yeah I follow. But like usual, that luck thing of yours kinda bit you didn't it?" When the girl nodded, Zatanna figured she'd let it all out, rather than have a curious, worried and hurt teenager lose on the station. "Well, lets talk about it some, hmm? Tell me why things surrounding that particular Titan seem to throw you off so-" she stalled, seeing the panicked look on Jinx's face. "Hey, hey, stay with me here..."

Jinx was remembering that day. The whole contrived mess, how she felt... safe. Connected. Happy, around the dark Titan. Then it all just went away. She had no idea why, it just whisked out, like a dream. She sniffled and smiled up at her mentor, shaking her head. " It's ok, I guess I'm just still bent up about it. I never... really got a chance to figure it out."

"No time like the present, you know. All the time in this or any other world," Zatanna grinned as Jinx chuckled a bit. She reached over and pulled a wand off a table and reformed the chair while they sat, giving it a comfy backing and a bit more plush. The previous form more used to work, this one more suited to chatter. "There we go."

Snuggling back into the more cushioned back, the pink witch grinned and sighed. "Well, first off... um. You know. This is going to be harder than I thought," she rubbed idly at her temples with a finger. _Basics first I guess._

"In Jump, I was a thief, working for the Hive, kinda like a boarding and training school for blooming villains. It was run by a mentalist named Brother Blood." She glowered at remembering the man. "You probably know all that, but from a kid's, teenagers point of view, especially one with powers, or a meta, the place was a haven. Particularly once you got a foot in the door and the indoctrination started.

"Well, as nice as it seemed, there were problems." Zatanna nodded but Jinx laughed a bit, shaking her head. "Oh, let me finish. Not like high school problems, or villain vs. hero problems. See, Blood was big into brainwashing. He was hot for a team that he could use and nurture up to rival the Titans. Forget the League, maybe he had something else working in that direction, he just wanted nice, loyal, obedient drones." Zatanna figured this whole thing rubbed Jinx the wrong way, and would be right in assuming so.

Closing her eyes, Jinx leaned back and took a calming breath. "People didn't leave the Hive. If you weren't happy there, had too many complaints, you simply weren't there anymore. Or came back from a meeting with Blood very content to be a gear in his machine." She smiled at the shudder from Zatanna. "Yep, brainwashing at it's finest."

Smiling apologetically to her mentor, she exhibited a degree of frivolity in her use of powers to conjure a cup of tea. _Just something to settle my nerves_. She sighed when it became obvious her subconscious was out to get her, the tea being chamomile.

"Well, that brings me to being a disgruntled student, in Blood's Hive, and occasionally coming to blows with the Titans." Zatanna nodded, having gathered the brief details from the dossier on the League computers. "One day, one of Robin's explosives knocked me out of the building, and having clipped me kinda hard, I was out. Well it was a long drop, and I guess seeing me in that state, Raven took action." Jinx's normal energy seemed to fade, and in it's place a contemplative girl sat, confused, wary, uncertain.

Leaning back again, tea forgotten she recounted the next day, and the meeting with Raven outside the diner. "I'd been confused, because despite it all, and my already decided course with leaving the Hive, this struck me as odd timing, you know? A Titan suddenly being concerned with my welfare." Seeing her mentor nod consideringly, she continued, "But again, she pulled me out of the fire, as it were. I don't know... why she was in bed with me. Both of us naked, but I remember seeing her clothes soaked in a bag, and figured mine were no better. I was probably chilled badly, still being weak and knocking myself out again. She didn't bring the car back to my apartment, and I remember flying again. So it had to be her using her powers. Maybe she was exhausted, and could only think to keep me warm, herself." Fidgeting as her blush rose she took a moment to settle her breathing, hoping her reaction wasn't too visible.

Zatanna saw the obvious, but kept her own counsel. _So that's how it was..._ She recalled the files on Raven easily, the young Titan being the center of attention these days. _An empath, healing a meta-human with magical affinity, both teens, both in variously similar lives... well well. This is certainly getting more complicated_. She smiled, letting the young woman beside her know to continue.

Jinx took a stilling breath and did so, albeit haltingly. "Well, we woke up, and it was awkward. How could it not be... we were snuggled up against each other, I could have kissed her we were so close." She blushed crimson at the thought, her admittance to thinking of it blazing her embarrassment to the fore. She grimaced as Zatanna looked on with her head tilted, trying to fathom the girl's reaction. "You must think I'm a freak."

"Uhm. Why? Sorry, I don't follow." Zatanna wanted her to come to grips with this, so feigning ignorance, she baited it out of her. _Not the nicest way, but she needs to face herself. If she's reacting like this, then she certainly hasn't yet._

Sighing, Jinx shook her head. "I wasn't just happy to be ok, and warm, then. I was attracted to her, like I haven't been with anyone before really. I can really pick them, you know?" Her self depreciative laugh pealed around the room and Zatanna winced. "Here I am, a _girl_, getting the hots for another girl, and not just that! A Titan, while I'm working with the Hive!" That laugh again, and Zatanna stilled her with a glare.

"Just stop that. Honestly. So what if you're both girls? We're not living in the stone age. And how many times do you suppose that whole hero-villain thing has happened? Don't you read the paper?" Zatanna shook her head, exasperation evident on her features. "Well that whole rumor mill about Batman and Catwoman? Not really rumors." At Jinx's shocked blinking, she nodded. "It happens a lot more often than you think. It's like workplace relationships, they just happen.

"And on top of that, you're still young. How many relationships have you had?" At the girls shaking head, she raised a brow, rubbing her temple. "Goddess, you're silly. You don't even know, for sure you prefer girls, and you're this worked up over it." She smiled, taking the edge off her words somewhat. "You need to relax, maybe try some dates, see for sure. Not that it's wrong to be that way, I've had my moments," She grinned at Jinx's rising blush. "But one crush does not a lifestyle define."

The young witch nodded, not totally convinced that the feelings burning in her chest were so trivial, but admitting the sense in the older woman's words. _I can't call Gizmo silly, when I'm falling into the same trap, can I? Must use the sense I got on the street, from my family_. Her thoughts turned back to the slip from Hal Jordan earlier, and she fixed a suddenly serious gaze back to Zatanna.

"So tell me, since we've established why Raven's a... sensitive subject with me, why it was you were keeping her birthday and this Trigon business from me?" She waited while the elder witch arranged her thoughts, sighing and rolling her eyes. "The truth please, don't make me get in trouble trying to use the database, get frustrated with it and hex it," She grinned at the look of horror that image elicited and waited.

Zatanna had to admit, a hex this girl could toss at the database would be.. interesting. "Well, you know a bit about her from the database I'm sure the Hive kept. Well, there's a lot more they don't get. For one, her emotions run her powers, to a degree. If she loses control, they spiral out of her grasp, and then, there's trouble." Jinx nodded, and gestured for her to go on. "Know about that? Ok. Well here's the bad news," She grinned a bit at the pink eyebrow arching at that.

"Her father, Trigon as he's known, is one of those demons powerful enough to be mistaken for the 'devil', and like most of those, he has similar aims." This came as a shock to Jinx, and she leaned back, eyes blank a moment as that tidbit sank in.

_My Raven... Raven, the daughter of... one of those? But she didn't look... _

"I know, she doesn't seem the type hmm? Well, that's mostly her own doing. See, if she loses control, guess who gets it?" Horror played across the youth's features and Zatanna nodded grimly. "Bingo. Daddy dearest gets his claws in her, and then it's apocalypse time for us poor people. He can use her as a gateway to this world, and if used like that, she dies and he gets to come over in full power, none of that summoned limitation bullshit."

"So wait, let me get this solid in my head." Jinx sat up suddenly and held up a hand, counting off points, her energy back in force. "She has to keep her emotions in check, or her powers get crazy," She ticked a finger at Zatanna's nod.

"Her father is planning to use her to get into this world, and in doing so, kill her." Another nod, another finger down.

"She's cold and distant to keep the fate of earth safe, and that means no strong... anything." The bitterness in that one stung the elder witch, but she nodded, Another finger down. She raised a brow at the ones remaining.

"And if she does get overly emotional, something pushes her too far, then he gets her, and it's game over for Raven." The last finger, her index, went down at Zatanna's nod, and she had a sinking feeling where this was going. Currently Jinx was left, apparently flipping off fate.

She noted one thing, and her dark brows furrowed. _Game over for just Raven, what about the rest of us?_

"Last one, and this is a big one." She grinned and it carried no mirth, and Zatanna had that sinking feeling again, like she was staring at fate running away with all the strings. "Something about this whole daddy dearest situation happens on her birthday, which let me guess, is Halloween isn't it?"

Running a hand through her hair, she nodded. "Yeah, the prophesy given by the Azarathens said that it'd be her eighteenth birthday that he would finally take hold, and make a move for earth."

Her eyes glazing to a wicked pink, Jinx found herself in the grips of an uncharacteristic rage. "Oh I am so going to fuck him up." Her mind was clear, centered as it were in a tornado of thoughts. _Don't worry Raven, I can be furious enough for us both._

Zatanna knew things were going to hell in a hand basket, at this rate._ Lovely pun, hah. Have to remember that one_. Her musing was cut short as the girl before her, her eyes glinting like dayglo neon signs, sprang up and over her head in a surprising display of athleticism. _Shit, they must have forgotten to file that!_

Jinx was already on the other side of the portal, and as it snapped shut her voice carried out of the air around her, a charm she must have cast before running out. "Sorry, but you know as well as I do what I'm going to do. And I know it's your job to stop me. But you see, this is important, and I have to know. Have to know if what's going on in my head, went on in hers. If that's why she left that morning." Zatanna pounded futile hands on the soundproofed door, knowing the field would make the sounds as trivial as someone tapping their finger, even if it would carry past the dampening. She growled and slumped to the floor in frustration. "And besides," the voice carried on, fading as the charm's energy faded, "she'll need help with her father."

Zatanna stared as the girl turned in fast forward on the other side of the portal, time settling into the field as per it's normal. "The time lock will open in three of my days, only 12 hours passing out there. She'll only have a half day's head start." She ran fingers through her hair and laid back on the floor. "I just hope that in looking for her answers, she doesn't make things worse."

Jinx walked nonchalantly out of the training hall, and once she was around the corner, dashed to her limit to her room. Closing the portal behind her she panted, realization of what she'd done thick in her gut. "Oh goddess, I'm done now," She laughed at how impulsive, how that impulsiveness had possibly burned all the bridges she'd tried to make.

"Well, while I'm burning things down," she began, packing her rather cramped old courier bag with a few day's clothes and some essentials. Her thoughts snapped to the other two teens on the station, and her grin grew exponentially. "May as well go out with a bang!"

Her scheming set her to quiet snickers, and it was all she could do not to cackle openly as she walked the halls, her bag over her shoulder. She'd dressed to impress, her makeup subtle but defining her quite well. Light violet details over her eyes brought her pink irises out shockingly, and a small dusting of pink sparkles set her blush to permanent, setting her pale skin off nicely. Of course, she'd set her hair in it's shockingly gravity defying horns, the black vinyl ribbons comfortably back in place. Her black poet's shirt showing off a fair bit of her modest but apparent cleavage, again dusted with pink glitter, the black vinyl bondage pants tied and zipped up to her knees doing the same for the gentle curve of her hips. A purple web belt with a winking cat as a buckle topped it all off. Purple and black striped socks dipped down to her clunky platforms, the purple soles finishing the effect. She felt absolutely... Witchy.

It was noon, and the assembled League, guests and those just passing through the Slideway were mostly assembled in the Mess yet again, lunch being much busier than morning meals. _Perfect_, she mouthed with a pout to the glass portal on the door, peering inside. Setting her best grin in place, she pushed the doors open with an impulse of air, and it began.

Eyes turned and jaws dropped as she lighted gracefully on the table occupied by Kid Flash, Argent and a few other teens she'd not seen, nor cared about. She folded her legs and crouched predatory at the speedster teen and in a hushed but magically amplified voice, making sure it carried across the hall. He leaned back, eyes widening as she whispered in her best bedroom drawl, "Soooo, Wally, who's the punk girl? Oh, just Hexed, right?" She grinned and knew that her rather elongated canines caught the light, "too bad you never were the type to get _lucky_." She punctuated that last word with a flourish, standing tall with a spin as she let all the pent up frustrations, her anxiety over her life at the Hive, and the recent worry over Raven flood into her hands and burst out, a nova of pink at which she was the core.

All around people fell, tripped, slipped, coughed, sputtered and generally just had the worst possible luck for that particular moment. But at the epicenter of the burst, things were far more interesting. Jinx had speculated, a month ago in the timeslip while they trained, that there was something more to her hexes than simply charged bad luck, though she was dreadfully good at that.

Testing those theories, she was elated to discover she was correct. She had to know before she left, and this definitely changed things to her favor. Kid Flash and Argent were tossed together, hands moving unheeded and unasked to very inappropriate locations as they slammed down, shocked expressions on either face as Jinx accelerated a future strand of fate she yanked into place out of turn.

Feigning a shocked scream she backpedaled, her hand up to her mouth and lip quivering. "Oh my _God_, what are you doing? And in the Mess hall? How disgusting," She screamed again and fled the hall, barely containing her laughter as all eyes turned to the suddenly abashed pair, writhing on the table and trying their hardest to protest their forced predicament.

She heard outbursts of shock and indignation at the show, knowing her own hexing would go practically forgotten as that particular tableau unfolded in front of the collected League and their guests. _Bet he'll think twice before wearing spandex to breakfast again_, she grinned maniacally as she skidded to a turn before the Slideway arch, and stalled, her smile faltering.

"Oh hells, how do I work this thing?" She darted to and fro, peering and poking the various controls without much success, precious minutes fading as she did so. Glaring and stuttering she focused on a location, _I hope this won't be sending me to an early grave, hate to break a date like that_. She focused and let fly another burst of pink force, the archway blinking to life. _Lady luck be with me, in making a calculated... er. Abject... risk_.

Hearing footsteps and a familiar voice behind her, Jinx's eyes flew open, and she turned, just catching sight of Zatanna rounding the corner, "Jinx, stop right there! Don't go off half-"

"No time Zah, but thanks for putting me on the strait and narrow, well in one way," She grinned and laughed, then backflipped into the arch, her last words fading in the electric crackle of the gate sending her to it's destination and shutting back down."But if you want to see someone stumbling around half-cocked, I suggest the Mess hall," and with a peal of laughter, the voice was gone, the owner with it.

Blinking at the other League members in confusion, she pointed at the arch and ordered Blue Beetle to figure out the destination, but hurriedly went down the hall, toward the mess as directed by her errant charge. Another League member, having opened the portal and let Zatanna out earlier followed, questioning her.

"Why are we heading to the Mess hall?"

She grinned despite the disruption to the Satellite's routine and motioned inside with a flourish. The tableau before her making her laugh before she could catch herself. "Despite being the cause of this little disturbance, that girl's got a _great_ sense of humor, I just couldn't miss this."


	6. Chapter 6

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.  
**

* * *

Progress. What comes to mind when you think of that idea? Is it the inventions man has made? Or is it something more personal? 

Ah but unlike change, abrupt and sudden, progress is a meandering, slower beast. It has it's own timetables, it's own frame of reference.

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

_I Early October, Titan Tower I  
_

The stars tilted and winked outside the window, as Raven rolled about in bed, trying to settle her noisome mind. Things had been very quiet for the Titans so far this month, for which she was both glad and anxious.

Glad due to the time it gave her to finally think about things. Many things. Her father's prophesy and her own upcoming birthday, the resulting splinter groups forming out of the Hive's breakdown, the Titan's own odd day to day lives. Her own lingering issues with a certain pink haired witch.

Her anxiety stemmed from the same sources. Her peace was effectively shattered, and until her birthday passed, there was likely no chance of it returning. There was an air of expectation, like there was something coming, and it wasn't just her birthday that seemed the source.

She rubbed at tired eyes, and glanced at the bedside clock. It blinked 2 am at her. Grumbling she sat up, and shook her violet hair from her face. _Not going to get any sleep at this rate... ah well. I've put it off long enough. Guess I should take care of housekeeping_. She rose and placed a small plastic hanger on her door, and turned off the inter-room communicator by it. The two should give anyone seeking entrance or her attention the right idea.

Walking to her dresser, she opened a drawer and pulled out the mirror, still wrapped in black cloth. Feeling the surface, she unwrapped it, making sure the face was down. Smirking, she shook her head. _Still so hesitant. It's only me, those things mine. Why does it always make me so nervous...?_

She fliped the mirror and stared at it's liquid surface. It casts no reflection; holds none. The frame is silver and ornate, a design alien to earth, but familiar to her. Made to be inconspicuous for her home, it's design defeated here. The sweeping angles and flared details resembling her namesake, the name she took after the first trip there. Her eyes traced the designs, not yet to be captured by the depths they contained. They changed, as she did. Once the mirror was neatly contained in a small, delicate hoop of silver, when she was a child. A child's thoughts, defining it. Now, it had grown, nearly the size of a plate, and the border outlandishly complex. It reminded her of the Gates of Hell, from Rodin. But rather than crowned by the three figures, there set four eyes, red and angry hazed and winking as she turned the thing in her hands. Closing her eyes she mouthed the place she sought, and gazed into the inky depths.

"Nevermore," the sound was soft, but reverberated around the room, as she lay the mirror on her bed, the midnight power of the thing drawing her within.

Elsewhere in the Tower, Cyborg noted the disappearance of Raven's communicator signal with a frown, alerting Robin to the same. He shook his head and turned back to his work, repairing the various things that always seemed to be breaking, being broken or failing in the Tower. Happy work, but busy none the less.

Blinking in the gloom, Raven took in the landscape of her mind. She deigned to defy the normal paths for the moment, and took to the air, surveying as she did so.

Things had changed, since her last visit. There was no more defined path, it seemed. The entirety of it, as she could see it all if she wished here, resembled more a rose. The labyrinthine paths centered on the hub she was recently in, and many paths branched off from it. Each one leading to a small path, that terminated, or lead back to the hub, leading only to another.

She mentally traced a route and saw that the path was still there, but obfuscated, hidden by the maze. _So, this is how confused I am_. She took a steadying breath, noting how the paths converged one by one into the last layer, the outermost, which lead in a long hall she assumed was the 'door' out. The portal guarded by the one she wanted least to see.

She dropped to the hub, deciding to play the game, figuring there was no harm in it. Besides, breaking the rules of her own mind could be hazardous.

Taking the path nearest her forward face, she walked slowly, taking in the walls. She'd assumed they'd be blank, as the few other visits showed, but here there were scenes, splayed along them. Simple things, embossed carvings. They showed complex schema, ideas, the routes and uses of her powers. A catalog of her abilities here, a description of her demonic traits there. Despite the random nature of her choice to start, it seemed some rules were static. She would always find the one that ruled her present mind first, and it was no surprise when Knowledge met her half way, she figured, to her sanctum.

"You're late," the bookworm stated simply, turning and leading the way to her place in the labyrinth. Raven followed, still taking in the walls as she did so. She was surprised to see a large portion of them devoted to specifics relating to Hive activities, correlating times and attacks, and... her own times fighting Jinx. It seemed that more often that not, they had been 'paired' by circumstance. Her musing was cut short by a snort from her yellow facet.

"Hardly coincidence. Give me more credit than that." The Teen caught the gaze that Knowledge was turning back to the path ahead of them, and was somewhat shocked to see it full of scorn.

Reaching the sanctum, the walls passed from her own self, to her interactions, to being wholly devoted to things she knew about Jinx. It was disconcerting to see how... preoccupied she was.

They reached the bench, Knowledge's usual haunt, and sat in silence some time. Sighing, Knowledge broke the quiet and smiled slightly, "What kept you away so long? We've been worried about you."

Raven smiled back hesitantly, relaxing at the gentle tone the yellow one spoke with. Somehow, being treated with scorn by her logical side made her rather morose. "I've not looked forward to this, honestly. It's hard to deny, pass things off as trivial when you have yourself saying things plainly."

Knowledge smirked and nodded. "You were right: you have been preoccupied. But it won't go away by being ignored." Her yellow self gestured to the walls of her sanctuary. "This is the result. You obsess, quietly. Secretly. Without being open about this curiosity, interest, it settles, festers, and can weaken you." She pointed at a wall, and Raven blanched. There, she could see the edge of a wall, see the designs biting into either face. It was obvious that a strong blow would shatter the section. Knowledge nodded to her and took her hand.

"What can I do though, she's... gone. I don't know where." She looked up at her logic and tilted her head curiously as the yellow haired mirror of herself shook her pale locks.

"What question is there, what curiosity exists that in asking, is no answer? Start asking questions, and you'll find answers. But you have to want to." She smiled finally, the glasses slipping down her nose. Righting them she stood, and beckoned Raven as she walked.

"It's not coincidence that you always find me first, you know."

Raven followed behind, taking in the sketches, the pictures of Jinx on the walls with interest. "What do you mean?"

"You'd be so lost here without me." The yellow one smirked, at Raven's scowl.

"Would not."

"Would too."

"Would not." The argument continued in good nature till the walls shifted a bit, the stone giving way to lush hedges, sounds emerging from the depths around them. The pair moved closer, and Knowledge sighed, shaking her head.

"So melodramatic." The sounds were subtle, but distinct. A wail, seemingly from pain. An explosion, the sound of combat. She almost recognized some strain of conversation when another sound pealed through the hedge, a depreciative laugh. It was a voice she almost placed. Then a more subtle, huskier sound, breathy and drawn out. She blushed when she realized what it was.

"I... do not, sound like that!" She blushed furiously and looked at Knowledge, scooting her glasses back up.

"You could, if you took the _initiative_!" Surprise at the attack slowed her, and she was flying through the opening in the hedge toward the low pool there when she righted her fall and rolled, coming up to face her attacker.

"Bravery, sometimes you really get-"

"Oh _stow_ it, and show me you still have a spine, or are you wearing _gray_ all the time now?!" The green hooded girl seemed driven, and Raven was hard pressed to keep her defense in place. Realizing the mistake in this line of thought too late, she received a fierce kick to the temple, spiraling into blackness at the sound of bitter laughter.

She shook her aching head, and blinked at the feel of cold water on her face. Sputtering she lashed out and met air, tumbling off the low stone bench she was sitting on. "Damnit, Bravery, what has gotten into you?" She glared about and found the two aspects watching her intently.

"It's more what I've not been getting into. Much of anything really, to be honest." She snorted, the cape thrown across one shoulder, hood down and hair pulled back severely. She looked.. fierce. "Yes, and so could you, if you bothered to assert yourself more."

Sighing and narrowing her eyes, she sat up and shook her aching head again. "You know why I can't let loose, get emotional. And you _are_ and emotion, _not_ a state of mind! We've settled that argument." Watching the verdant facet warily, she tried to place the meaning of things, in perspective.

Shaking her head savagely, displacing a few errant strands of hair, she sat crosslegged on the ground before Raven. "You don't take your own self's place. You wait to be lead, you hold back your impulses till Rage drives you forward, or simply talk yourself out of it." Glaring at Knowledge for emphasis she stuck her nose in the air.

She looked down at her hands and nodded, seeing the truth in Bravery's words. "But... how? How can I reach out and take those things, when it's so dangerous?"

Smiling confidently, Bravery stood and held out a hand to the perplexed Teen. "Simple really. We can't always do it alone. You ask for help." Raven, realization dawning, her took the offered hand and the trio stood, smiling once again.

"I missed you," and with an uncharacteristic show of emotion, Raven took one step and hugged her courage, the two sharing a moment as Knowledge looked on, smiling.

They moved back through the hedge, and Raven could understand the sounds she heard. The fights where she took her initiative with the Hive, her moments of genius in planning, the rescue of innocents, her sense of honor being played out. But also her gentle moments of courage, in seeking the company of her friends. The first steps, the hard ones. She heard the sound of a shower, hot water, the memory of it coming to mind sharply. She blushed fiercely and Bravery settled her hands on Raven's shoulders.

"It took a lot to trust yourself with her. But she didn't betray it. In fact, she tried hard to show you her own courage. Remember that." Bravery went back to following Raven, some sense of the place leading her this time. Unseen, the two facets shared a private smile.

Soon, the Hub greeted them and with a subtle turn they reentered the labyrinth, the halls bending and twisting without corners here. It wasn't long before a music box could be heard, the sound carrying well on the still air. It seemed to lilt along and finally she recognized the song, placing the lyrics and biting her lip Raven had always reacted strongly to music, felt as deeply the landscape of the work as one could. Maybe it was the polarity of it, how it was bound to emotion. She was careful, tried to be, to keep her mind, her feelings from overwhelming her when such a piece struck at her weak points, bent and broke her so easily. It helped, those efforts. Songs called up her emotions so easily, and this one, it was Jinx. It may as well have been written, made for that day, the fleeting happiness that she denied. _Not only her own, _she realized with a stabbing ache in her chest... She fell against a wall and sobbed, the two aspects behind her taking her up and easing her forward, the scene before her shocking her out of her sadness.

Happiness sat, picking at a flower. Her hair was a tangle under her hood, which was pulled uncaring over her head. She slumped against a wall and hummed the strand of song, dismembering the flower slowly. She looked tattered, faded almost.

Raven, gathering her self and with an encouraging nod from the green one, pressed forward. "Happiness, are you alright?"

The strain of song, the humming stopped suddenly. A small voice, barely audible sounded and Raven stopped stupefied at what she heard. "You. Stay away from me."

The other facets stared at each other and looked to Raven, blinking slowly. The dark Titan screwed her eyes closed tight and took a breath. "I will not. Tell me what's going on here."

Happiness looked up, and the other three winced. She looked horrible, her hair a mess, the lines of her face deep and weary. She'd obviously been crying for a long time, and even her lips looked chafed, bitten, worried at. She stood and wobbled where she was, and it was Bravery that caught her first, Raven close behind. Raven looked to Knowledge, for an answer but the yellow one only shook her head.

A small chuckle brought her attention back and her brows furrowed as her joy lay there, looking beaten. "That's a good way to say it. Beaten." She grew silent and took some steadying breaths. "Of all of us, you're most unkind to me. I'm used to it, but this time you just went too far."

Raven started crying quietly, stroking the hair that matted and would not untangle in her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." She cut off at that depreciative laugh again.

"You don't need to say that to me. Not _me_, but it does need to be said." The pink facet smiled up at her distantly, looking drained. "Why am I so tattered... well Knowledge could say. Each of us, defining one solid emotion, yet at the same time also it's opposite. Bravery and Timid are exceptions, as they also define things beyond them." Bravery nodded, and Raven understood, somewhat.

Bravery was also that part of her that enjoyed competition. It was her desire to achieve, to excel. She would question Timid on this later, but for now, she had something important to see to.

"I can also be your Sadness. I almost am, even, but the balance wasn't quite shifted. If you'd waited much longer, there would be another here, and I would be gone, for some time." She laughed mirthlessly and her color faded a little more. "Knowing you, possibly forever."

"Stop that. Tell me what I should do, please. Aside.. from the selfish desire to be happy, I don't like... seeing any of you hurt. I didn't know such things could happen here," She stalled, quieted by Happiness's slight smile, the first genuine one she'd seen.

"So you admit it, you want to be happy?" The pink eyes, purposefully the color of another pair fresh in her memory stared up at her, where she cradled the pink facet in her lap. The memory spiked in her mind and she refused to let her habits kick in. She remembered that morning. The feel of Jinx's lips on her forehead, the thrill of contact and pure simple joy in her touch. How much she made her.. happy.

"Happiness..." Knowledge started warningly but Bravery took her aside, shaking her head.

Licking suddenly nervous lips, Raven nodded. _I came here for answers, and I am so getting what I asked for. I had no idea how much of a... mess I was. I am. But as Bravery said... ask for help. I must also admit the truth, like Knowledge counseled._ "Yes, I want my happiness as well. I want it despite my peace, despite the prophesy. I don't want to be without my Happiness." Her eyes widened when she felt Happiness's arms slip up around her neck, and the softness of her lips against her own.

It only lasted a moment, and her facet released her, smiling genuinely again. "You were thinking of her. It helps, but you can't be mired in the past." She grinned impishly, her color, the rightness of her seeming to strengthen. "And I'm flattered you like someone so much like me."

Sputtering slightly as her other facets giggled at her, she did so as well. "She does make me happy. I didn't... wasn't used to it. I know what I need to do. But goddess it's going to be so hard." She closed her eyes and Happiness sang quietly, a different song. Raven knew why, of all her facets, Happiness was so keyed to music. Exuberance, expression and the unfettered release of it all were things she all attributed to that part of herself, so of course in this place, as her mind imagined them, songs weren't so much memories as things real and forceful. The new song wasn't somber, laced with loss and bruised hearts, but spoke of days ahead, willing the soul forward.

It gave her hope. A new song for Raven, and she found a smile again.

Raven laughed, and the spell of quiet on the four broke in a fluttering sound of wings, all of them joining in. "You are such a brat, you know that? Lets go, I have a lot to do once I'm back home, and still have the others to sort out." Happiness nodded and skipped beside her, hand in Raven's, the other two facets sighing in relief. They'd been worried about their jubilant sibling, and things went better than they'd have guessed.

Raven was feeling better, better even than she'd expected to once deciding to come here. She realized as they walked how much of herself had been shut out, brought low by the nature of her prophesy, her Father's threat. She'd nearly given up her future, her chance at happiness, any happiness, because of it. So mired in her own self doubt, worry and hesitation she'd trapped herself in a vicious loop.

The fact that Jinx seemed central to all her Facet's focus didn't elude her. But admittedly, before the pink witch came into her life, she'd not had any reason to be unbalanced. With her influence, her presence she had so many conflicting ideas, her emotions obviously rising up to the day, to say their peace.

They came back to the hub and she glanced around. Knowledge pointed south, and Raven nodded, chancing a grin at the pair behind her and Happiness as she skipped beside her giggling facet. "Don't let me forget this. Or you, promise me?"

"Never!" Her pink self grinned and she was back to herself, and Raven was feeling much better.

The other two weren't far behind, and as they rounded a turn together they slowed, the landscape seeming to darken. It looked like... rain. Nodding to herself, she apologetically let her hand fall from Happiness's, but the pink one still smiled, understanding.

The dark Titan stood quietly a moment, pondering this place. She was at the sanctum, the troupe had arrived here relatively quickly, but nowhere to be seen was Timid. She looked around, but the walls were unscarred, oddly so considering. She approached one, the furthest from her and suddenly felt a wash of cold air pour over her.

She spun but there was nothing to see. Nothing at all, as the sanctum seemed to have closed off, the other facets nowhere to be seen, the entrance gone with them. Fighting down a rising sense of alarm, she stood and repeated her Mantra, willing the gray facet before her.

What appeared out of the darkness startled a gasp from her, the wicked claws rasping across the stone nearest her and retreating as quickly. "Timid! Stop this and come out!"

_-Change occurs in us all, but in you most dramatically. Timid is no more, there is only Fear-._ She blanched, having hoped in a small corner of her mind that Happiness was the only one that had suffered. Apparently, Timid had been pushed over a limit as well. The quiet, rasping voice of her once meek facet had taken a menacing turn, and she could not place it's source.

Finally, with a wrench of her will the darkness around her parted and the now black robed facet walked forward. She bore the same resemblance to her as the others, but her eyes were the main difference, the gray and black coloring seeming little different. Blank, white, featureless orbs stared back at her, and she shivered unconsciously.

_-Good, you understand me. Do you understand why I am here?- _Raven shook her head slightly, and the other sat, unblinking gaze locked on her own as she simply ceased standing and floated at eye level, legs dangling haphazardly. _-In inaction, you found respite. Your fears, though not so powerful as to draw me into physical action like during that movie incident, were enough to change the one known as Timid. In her place, in _her _your fears have taken root, and matured. I am her. Your hesitations made flesh, your weakness in resolve given form. The reaction of your entropy.-_

The black facet's words echoed in her mind, and in a way she understood beyond the meaning given. "If... if I give in to my fears, you are what I'll become, aren't you? Cold and distant," She choked the words out as the air chilled to freezing, the slow nod of the Other her only reply. "How do I... do we come to terms? I am unused to you. Do you seek balance like your sisters or dominance like Rage?"

The Other tilted her head and regarded Raven with the blank eyes she hated so much. -_I simply am. I could be a reminder-,_ The landscape turned dark and wicked, her pulse quickening. _-I could be a reaction-,_ the black whirlwind of her power engulfed her, four blank eyes glaring at her in the mist. She screamed and fell to her knees. -_I can also be that which reminds you to remain strong-._ The words held no malice, and she looked up to see caricatures, those of ones she cared about suffering, the hands that hurt them her own, and in some places, those of others.

One made her breath catch and she croaked out a single word in response, "No..."

There, in black relief she stood over Jinx, her hands clenched and engulfed in black force, the claws buried deep in the other girl's chest, crushing, rending as she smiled over her, a wicked laugh on her lips. What burned the image into her eyes wasn't her visage so much as those of the pale witch she tortured. She looked up with a smile, her eyes accepting, her hands not grasping at Raven's arms but caressing, as she bled her life out around her hands. "I will not be that person!!" She screamed and stood back up, banishing the images with a flare of her power.

_-Then we have an understanding. Fear can lend you strength, or it can rule you, bring you low and take the future from you-._ The Other stood before her once again, and she was so close she could sense the coldness radiating from her. Pale eyes stared into her own, unwavering violet ones. _-I am, that which you could be. But you do not seek it. I will not fight you like Rage, for I am not tainted. But I will not be gentle with you. Learn from me, be strong. Or suffer loss-._

Taking a steadying breath, she blinked once, and realized how similar, more so than any other, they seemed. "I understand, sister. I will embrace my Fears," she did so, the cold Other wrapping icy hands around her. "I will be stronger, by overcoming them. By understanding them." The Other, her black facet faded into shadow and with a last smile, nodded.

_-Do not fear the future. Or you shall never have it-._

"Thank you. I will not, I promise." Raven shook from the exertion of the tableau set out before her, as the darkness faded and her other disoriented facets rushed to her side.

Bravery was casting about like a hound, a disoriented look on her face. "Where is Timid? We've not seen her in a long-" She stilled at Raven's gesture, her head shaking slowly.

A stilling breath should have righted her, but it was too much. She sat heavily on the ground and the other facets followed her. "She's gone. What almost happened to Happiness, I let happen to Timid." Bravery seemed livid, a scathing remark on her lips when Knowledge stilled her.

"Look at her, she's faced them already. Our sisters have always grown, even Happiness and yourself. Remember when you were simply Brash?" Bravery looked away and nodded. "I could even go so far as to call you Courage now, but you hold many things. So Timid has changed, but into what?"

All eyes turned to Raven, and she gestured at her shadow, laying across the ground with a posture of slack indifference. Four slitted white eyes stared back at the four and Happiness hid behind Bravery. "She is Fear now, but she's not like Rage, so don't worry." At Bravery's look of loss she wrapped an arm over her shoulder. "She's... like her, only grown. I don't know how else to say it. She's the maturity of what I refuse to admit, to face."

Bravery nodded and looked at the shadow. The eyes glinting there held no anger, malice. Only knowing, observant patience. _-I am that which was, sister. But where you grow to encompass more, I grew to hold less, becoming more that which drove my being-._

The collected shivered, but for Raven. "She is a reminder, of what I could be. What we could become." She stood and the shadow melded to her, seemed at place by her, always behind, always watching. _My Fear, always behind me. Reminding me to move forward_. Nodding resolutely, she beckoned the others forward, and careful not to step on their sister, they made their way toward the final stretch, the long hall leading to the great gate at the end.

The Titan, her other five assembled sisters in tow, followed the last path that they knew led to the exit, but that wasn't the goal. It was she who stood there, guarding it, ready to confront all who would come to this place and think they could leave.

The path she'd seen from above was a strait one, it didn't curve or deviate, but what she thought she'd seen obviously wasn't what truly was. As they walked, the path curved sharply down, the walls growing narrower, forcing them to move single file. They opened up again, but not before curving sharply, the path spiraling down again.

"This is new, where are we?" Raven queried her sisters, but none had an answer. Of them all, Happiness seemed to have stilled, become most thoughtful. The Titan saw this and was about to ask when she leaned against the nearest wall, eliciting a shudder and small gasp from it.

"Whoa, ok. That was weird." She stared at the place she'd touched and realized that they'd likely found another path to a sanctum, the walls changing again to suit the facet there. She hesitantly prodded the wall again and it shivered, rippling away from her touch before slipping forward, nuzzling at her hand like a kitten. She bounded to the middle of the hall and blinked at her sisters, a light blush on her cheeks. "Oh boy."

The others stood by confused as Raven and Happiness shared a nod, and the troupe set a slow, wary pace forward, further down the bending, spiraling path that led on.

Finally Raven was about to scream in frustration, the path wearing at her patience, when it opened up into a space in front of her. _Ok, I'm so not looking at those department store magazines anymore_. The sanctum before them was gaudily arranged, filmy drapes and fluffy, overstuffed pillows accenting the décor, central to it a rather large bed. An occupied bed.

Raven's eyes widened and she irrationally turned a giggling Happiness's head, diverting her gaze. The other two corporeal facets retreated a few steps and thought to lean on the walls, but more shuddering, caressing gasping moans drove them off with blushes and widened eyes as well. Raven pushed her giggling counterpart at her more collected facets and noticed Fear had also wafted to settle by them, unreadable as a shadow.

The Titan swallowed hard and made her way to the writhing form on the bed, alarmed at first but calming once she realized that what she'd taken initially to be overtly sexual movement was simply... languorous wiggling. A light purple bedecked facet of her lay, enjoying the feel of the bedsheets, _likely satin or silk_, Raven thought enviously. She blinked at the tone her thoughts had just taken. _Uhm?_

A throaty, husky chuckle answered and she was looking eye to eye with what could have been, in color at least, a cross between her normal tones and Happiness. The look on the other's face was wholly new though, as was the state of... dress. _More like undress,_ she thought with a blush. Lips parted slightly, eyes half closed and her hands were _warm_. Raven faltered a moment, _wait, hands? What?_ She gasped as she realized the other had pulled her onto the bed while her mind was wandering, taking in the violet facet of her mind.

"Hi there, welcome to my humble abode," the other purred, popping the clasp to Raven's cloak. The Titan gathered her loosened clothing about her with a fierce blush and scooted away from her assailant. "Awe, see this is why you came... " The other giggled and propped herself up on all fours, predatory, as she stalked Raven across the bed, "... to Nevermore isn't it? To address the needs of your emotions?" Raven shuddered as her facet ran a finger along the arch of her foot.

The other aspects stood in slack jawed shock, watching their collective self flee Desire. Bravery leaned down to Fear and asked in a whisper, still feeling her previous kinship with Timid present. "Is... she new?"

_-She arrived with the awareness of one named Jinx. I believe Raven's stunted, repressed wants are finally catching up with her-._ If Bravery had not thought it impossible, she could swear there was amusement in the other's voice.

_-It was-._

"Oh." She looked back up to see Desire tugging at Raven's cloak, her other hand somewhere under it, Raven's mouth a silent 'O' of shock.

"Stop that!" the Titan demanded, glaring angrily at the slightly retreating amorous aspect of herself. "I can't figure anything out with you trying to grope me!"

The Cheshire grin that met her set her blood to ice, "Oh, is it so difficult having one prove their wanting to you? Is that why you fled that poor girl, and left her there, covered in flour and sinking into her own hurt while you ran home to hide in your precious peace?" The grin had gone from playfully taunting to open scorn as the words tumbled forth, Raven flinching back as if struck.

"How could I have known how to react, Desire? I've never felt you before." She sighed, the truth of the other's accusation burning in her cheeks.

Her facet's voice held a sultry lilt as her hand snaked out and took Ravens own, "No time like the present to fix that." Abruptly Raven's hand was full of soft breast, and the shuddering feel of her other's sigh. Glancing down in shock at her own hand, and the rather revealing variant of the costume her facet wore. It barely contained her femininity, and honestly Raven figured a stiff breeze or misstep would have her bouncing right out of it...

"Gah! That's... so wrong you have no idea!" recoiling and falling off the enormous bed she scampered back to the safety of her sisters and panted, trying to banish the conflicting sensations running rampant in her mind.

Knowledge's eyes were wide as she leaned over, whispering set for Raven's ears alone. "She's a bit forward, isn't she? Are we going to be-" She was cut off at the gasp that trailed back to the huge bed, a bit of indigo lashing out and dragging the unprepared Raven back to the other's clutches.

"Help!" Raven floundered, completely at a loss as her violet self pinned her, straddling her waist and writhing there, a knowing smile on her lips.

Desire glanced over at them, beginning a wary approach and stalled them completely with a comment, "Oh, please do... help. The more the merrier after all." The other facets stood rooted, slack jawed again and staring at Raven in unified shock.

"I swear it wasn't my idea! I think, anyway? Oh god!" She shivered as Desires fingers ran over her stomach and across her sides. "Ok, ok. I admit it! I've not really understood but I admit, I _do_ have desires. But what caused... you're _new_. How, so soon?"

Desire sat perched above Raven, eyes intense and knowing. "You found someone you wanted, but then pushed them away. Frustration... of a particular sort, love, wanting, companionship most personal, not just _sex_," that last word was purred directly into Raven's ear, and shaming herself, she moaned and shifted under the other's weight. She could feel Desire's lips curl into a smile against her neck and collar, the moan escaping her without her bidding.

"I am, because you have, you want. When you felt something strongly enough to need to repress it, that was my birth." She licked a slow line from Raven's collar to her ear, whispering into it with passion, "But I am unfinished." Raven's hazed eyes focused and she caught at the threads of conversation desperately.

"What do you mean? What do I- we, lack?" She scooted back and met the wall, her eyes widening at the look Desire leveled at her. Her eyes were empty, sad. She had stilled her advancing and settled her weight on her hands, looking less now like a predator as a supplicant.

"Love, Raven." The words slapped across her like a physical blow, and she shook as if it were. "You've never let yourself know love." The violet facet arranged herself discreetly, pulling the indigo drape of lace and chiffon off the bed to fasten as a cloak of her own. The effect served to display, rather than obscure, her figure. She smiled knowingly at Raven, "You can use the idea some day, when you meet the right person. Again."

Closing her eyes in defeat, Raven nodded. "I did run from her, and you, that morning. I wasn't ready. I was still afraid of what my Father could do, with a chink in my armor." She glanced at the others, and they approached, sitting tentatively on the bed by their sisters. Happiness draped an arm across Desire's shoulder and they hugged quietly, the violet one nuzzling her pink self contently.

Raven watched and understood something else. "You're also my desire for companionship. Simple human contact, aren't you?" When the violet one's smile widened, the Titan nodded. She remembered all the time times she'd seen Starfire and Robin stealing covert touches, embraces these last few months. How she'd felt a deep loss and sadness at times, knowing there wasn't one she could share that with. Fearing it even, as such a person could be hurt badly by her errand emotional charge. As well as her father's influence.

"Remember, Raven. There's something you're missing." Desire's words brought her out of memory and she focused, trying to find a flaw in her thinking. The shock of it hit her and she wavered, dazed a moment. Desire nodded and reached out, running her hand along Raven's cheek lightly. Memories, flashes of awareness, her emotions full and forward but with no destructive consequences came forward, and she closed her eyes, a bitterness washing over her.

"I can't... hope yet. But I won't forget that. I'll make sure, but if so... " Raven shivered, the images Desire gave her coming with force to the front of her mind. The sisters all blushed as one, even Fear's shadow grew a bit... maroon. _One I can be close to, and not fear for._

They shared a companionable silence, hugging, simply enjoying the contact of one another. Even Fear took on form, and despite her coolness, Desire lavished attention on their darker sibling. Finally, sighing reluctantly, Raven stood and beckoning her sisters. They nodded and arranged themselves knowing the hardest task was yet at hand.

The last stretch passed in silence, the sisters all holding one another's hand, Fear holding her corporeal form to lend strength to Raven. Oddly, her stillness helped. The courage she knew was Bravery's forte, but tempered with Fear, gave her an iron resolve to see this through. She was grateful for her Nevermore, regardless of the risk, the sometimes pain and difficulty of it.

The last turn of the maze opened, and before them stretched the wicked plain of Rage. She stood, glowering her hateful glare from before the gateway. The landscape was a volcanic nightmare, all sharpened obsidian and cruel jutting spikes. Raven knew from experience the entire place was a weapon. A misstep and fall could easily wound dangerously.

Rage turned her attention to the troupe and drew herself to full height. She was no taller than the others, but with the hood thrown back, her crimson hair fluttering in the harsh wind, the four cruel slashes of her eyes winking in the darkened world of Nevermore, she was an imposing figure. Her words shook the world around them, but Raven was ready. Or so she thought.

"Sister. It's been too long. We must talk. Come, there is much to discuss."

* * *

Referenced Music: Snow Patrol, You Could Be Happy  
Snow Patrol, Open Your Eyes 


	7. Chapter 7

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.  
**

* * *

When we are most ready, most prepared to face those things we are ready to, is when we are most vulnerable. It is then that life, the universe, fate, chance, will strike you on your blind side, and take you down. 

The best you can do, is surround yourself with friends.

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

_I Nevermore I_

"Sister. It's been too long. We must talk. Come, there is much to discuss."

Raven stood in shock at the words that Rage so calmly just spoke. "Who are you and why are you wearing Rage's cloak?" She was also shocked at her own levity, but frankly after the narrowly avoided orgy of her own emotions in Desire's domain, she was all tapped out of weird. Or so she'd thought.

Her crimson self laughed with hearty mirth and shook her head, beckoning the troupe forward. "Come, time is short and believe me or no, for this small time I am myself, untainted. Take this time as we can, it may be a long time, if at all, that it comes again." Raven hesitated only a moment, noticing Rage's impatience with a small tinge of relief.

_If she were completely rational, that'd be way too strange_. She moved quickly, covering the obsidian and glass plain as the ground shifted just ahead of her, sorting the traitorous ground into neat cobbling before her. Her other facets came shortly after, somewhat at a loss at their lost sibling's change in demeanor.

Closing that last stretch, they found a gentler landscape, still scoured but accommodating. The bench normally only enough for two, was a broad circular thing, room enough for them all. Raven raised a brow at this and Rage merely shrugged, gesturing behind her at the others that followed. "You come with us all, so I make room. I am of you, and we are not inconsiderate by nature."

Nodding at her facet's double edged complement she sat first, a show of trust. Rage followed and the others arranged themselves about the two. Fear sat beside Rage, and the red one peered at her with an unreadable expression, here eyes seemingly taken with their match, perpetually shrouded and gleaming from within the cloak. Raven noted this, and thought to ask, at some point. _Later, trivialities later._

Rage looked back to her and nodded, glancing around and smiling almost imperceptibly at Happiness. Raven was sure then that this was no trick. She herself had felt anger at the way her mind had treated the jubilant facet, and to see that mirrored spoke of it. She smiled at her crimson self and they began, speaking frankly of things as they were, are, and to come.

"You know that because of your father's nature, I am most closely tied to him." Raven nodded, accepting Rage's frank declaration as truth. "He is a demon, one strong with anger. Your anger at him, at your fate, as it was stated, gave him this, me, as leverage to your mind."

The others glanced about, suddenly uncomfortably reminded of the often battle they fought against the shade of Trigon, using Rage to guise himself and attack the Titan. Raven spoke and it was a question they all were curious of. "Why are you lucid then? What has happened to release you from his hold?"

Rage smiled but it was sad, fueled by her mute anger. "I'm not." Raven blinked in confusion until with an exasperated sigh the crimson one continued. "The time draws close, so he musters his influence, his power for that day. I am still tainted, but this is a small reprieve, a weakness in his planning we did not know."

She watched her facet, the desperate fight going on in her eyes. She could sense the lingering connection, the tie to her father's power there, but it was as she said, weakened and not an active conduit as was often the case. "So can we use this, this weakened state to sever that tie?" She hoped it would be something so simple, but was prepared for Rage's quiet denial.

"No, he has done this cunningly. He need only reach out and reestablish this link now." She shuddered, caged, mute indignation splayed on her face. "To think he uses me like this, like a tool, disgusts me. If you could destroy one of us, I wish it to be me. At least then you'd be free of that fool."

Raven blinked shaking her head. Rage was aware, all this time of her father's possession. _How horrible..._ she reached out but recoiled at the crimson one's snarl. "Don't. I understand, but don't."

The others were torn, but Raven knew not to lose the advantage they were gifted with, by this respite. "How does he plan to use me to break into this dimension?"

Rage smiled, happy to indulge her self's needs, while she was herself. "He'll wait till your birthday, then using me as a conduit, flood your mind with his full force of energy. Likely, it will kill you, as you're simply not strong enough on your own, as you are to withstand the onslaught."

Bravery rankled at that, and slammed her hand down on the obsidian bench. "What do you mean, give us some credit! We've fought him off countless times before!" She blinked at Rage's laughter.

"You've repelled his errant attention." She sighed and shook her head. "He has never focused on us. He only idly plays with me, wearing at your resolve, at your defenses. If anything, those failures of his minor attentions would make you overconfident, and lead to your death."

Distantly, looking out over the landscape of Nevermore, Raven nodded. She could feel as much. She knew if her father, Trigon, had wanted so much to push his way into her mind, he simply would. A being capable of destroying dimensions would find little resistance in a young, untrained, barely tested girl's mind.

Rage sat, quietly considering. "There will be little I, or you, can do that day. But to give you hope, may be our undoing." She wrapped her arms around herself in a wholly unused to display of hesitation.

She saw what this meant, and Raven pressed on, "What do you know? What is there we don't already know about, that we can use, how ever much a gamble?" She watched Rage wince, the light brighten in her eyes sharply.

"NO!" The crimson one clutched at her head and fell to the ground on her knees, trails of energy from her eyes crackling in the air as she passed. "Not yet, I need more time!" She snarled and the cloak around her whipped about violently, the wind of Nevermore picking up harshly, heat making their eyes water.

Raven looked to her sisters sadly, and they nodded in acquiescence. It was time to go, before this battle began, hopefully to end it beforehand. "Thank you all, but it's time. Go home, I'm here now, and can handle this, for a small while."

The others nodded and with smiles left as they came, suddenly. Raven turned back to Rage, her efforts to resist her father's attentions plain on her face. She winced as her skin broke and healed, the force of restraining him sickeningly difficult. "Go, go damnit! I can't hold him back!" She wailed, a pained and furious sound that broke the ground in a resounding shatter for yards.

Raven shook her head hard, more upset than ever at seeing a facet, part of herself, so abused. "No, I have to know, so one day we can be rid of him, and not only through death! Tell me, what is that hope, I don't care, I need to know!" She chanced it to kneel down, and shook her crimson double, Rage's eyes clearing for just a moment.

"Seek the fouled fate. Break the strings of the prophesy." The soft words wrote them themselves, indelible in her mind, as Rage's face contorted in pain, crimson lashes of power throwing Raven toward the gate. "GET OUT! NOW!" She doubled over in pain and slammed her head into the ground repeatedly, as Raven retreated, her heart breaking.

_I know it's just an image, an part of me given form by the mirror. But she's me, she's my _sister Her lip peeled back and she encased the struggling one in a protective black shell, herself within as well, and took that moment, brief to thank her. "I'm sorry, I know you want me to leave, to flee. But thank you. Thank you and I'm sorry, I wish I were stronger. For all of us."

Rage smiled slightly, the respite welcome, but her pain only slightly lessened. "If you want to thank me, find a way to kill that fucker. Then we can all have tea and try out Desire's bed."

The shocked moment of distraction let Rage have the opening she needed, and flinging Raven harshly from her and into the gate, she slumped to the ground, her reserves spent. "Goodbye, Raven."

The dark Titan was already being pulled back to the surface of the mirror, her will shod in iron as she remembered all that had happened, and that needed still to be done.

_It's time, time to end this. Time to give myself a real beginning._

_I Early October, Titan Tower I_

The Titans had collected nervously outside of Raven's room, Robin the only one brave enough to venture near the doors, readying a knock. It'd been hours since her signal went silent, the one in her communicator cut off suddenly. Terra hid behind Beast Boy, who was in turn hiding behind Cyborg. Cyborg grumbled, being too big to hide behind anyone.

The titanium Teen, having most of the Tower's security tied into his personal systems, blinked as he suddenly got a signal back from Raven's communicator. He was about to reach out and stop the Boy Wonder when the doors in front of them all swept back, a panting, rather exhausted looking Raven standing there and blinking at the collected group in front of her.

The moment lasted a number of heartbeats, before Raven smiled- Robin blinked and did a double take, the dark Titan gathering them all up and hugging them. "Oh, I'm so glad to be back home!"

The group as a whole winced as the light over her door went "pop" and cast the hall in darkness. Raven simply gestured to it and it mended, the light flickering back to life. "Sorry, still have to watch that I guess. But really, I missed you all." She stood there looking relieved, happy, relaxed.

The Titans gawked.

Laughing, only making their collective jaws drop more, she waved and stepped back into her room. "I'll be out after a shower. I need to talk to you all, so don't go anywhere, k?" The door shut behind her and the other five Titans simply stood petrified, till Beast Boy literally fell over.

"Dude... uhm. Did we miss something?" The green Teen sat and rubbed his sore shoulder, having hit the ground with jarring force. Terra helping him back up, nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, something's up. She's never.. chipper, y'know?"

Robin stood and blinked blankly. His mind trying to piece it all together yet failing. "Maybe she'll explain when she's done with her shower," He shook his head and motioned down the hall. "Lets go order some food, I feel like we'll need it to keep this sane."

Cyborg cheered, suggesting Chinese again but was cut off by Starfire, "Maybe we could make something special! Friend Raven seems to have had an Florrnglaf, this is a cause for celebration!"

Thinking fast, and in no mood to eat mustard flavored cardboard, Robin chimed in, "But Star, when people on earth have a Floornglafft, we usually just get pizza and ice cream." He blinked when she got a suspicious look and he sneezed, hoping that would cover for his poor memory of the word she used. _My god that entire planet must be stellar at tongue twisters_.

"Oh, well then, Pizza it shall be!" She floated happily ahead and was poring over the menu as they breathed a collected sigh of relief. Cyborg gave him a covert thumbs up while Beast Boy made groveling gestures. He shook his head and sighed. _I really need to teach Star how to cook_. They decided on three pizzas, one for Beast Boy and Raven, split vegan and with her customary vegetable preference. Not really a vegetarian; she just didn't like pizza meats.

The rest of the Titans would split a pepperoni and a supreme, extra supreme, and they managed to talk the delivery boy into picking up some ice cream for a hefty tip, and a flirty word or two from Terra. Starfire was jubilant, floating about and putting up streamers, while the others spent time just hanging around, discussing the virtues of a particular game or another.

About half an hour after she'd suddenly reappeared, Raven floated into the room, humming quietly as the others were just unpacking the delivery boy's bundles. They'd decided as a group to not call Raven out on this new behavior, rather enjoy it and hope the explanation let it be a permanent thing. As odd as an emotionally balanced Raven seemed, no one wanted a friend to be unhappy. And though she reassured them often she was fine, never smiling, or doing so as rarely as she did, seemed unhappy.

"Hey guys, oooh pizza!" Raven scooped up a slice and the Titans grinned as she fought with the cheese, a losing battle. Finally, giggling and popping the soda (which she cleaned up immediately), she managed to calm a bit and get a plate, still humming a little but calmer after the spill. She sighed, having eaten three slices in rapid succession and grinned, the others now settling comfortably into the idea of a 'new' Raven.

Robin was the first to query, hesitantly as he was wary to bring the party to an end. "So Raven, what happened? We lost you on the communicator net a while, I mean," He quickly corrected, not wanting to call into question her newly opened emotions – yet.

She folded her hands behind her head and floated away from the table idly, eyes closed. "Well, I'd been feeling really off, unstable for a while. There was some things that had gone wrong, some you know, some you don't." She nodded at Cyborg when he looked concerned. "Yeah, a lot to do with Jinx."

Beast Boy had been curious, after the whole thing, but had kept it to himself. Partly, due to his and Terra's growing connection and his seemingly fading fondness for Raven in the same fashion. He'd have felt bad for moving from one friend to another, but she just didn't seem to feel anything like what he did. No point in pining away... not when Terra was much more accepting of him. Still, questions remained, and it was with a small seed of jealousy that Raven had picked someone finally after his attentions that sparked him to action. "So, what did happen with her? You never told us." He sipped his drink as Robin and Cyborg both glared at him for being so direct, and Terra paid rapt attention to her pizza. _Well damnit, that went over badly_. He winced as a foot, anonymous, connected with his shin.

Raven simply turned in air, settling on to her stomach and grinning a bit. "Sorry if I don't go into graphic detail; there weren't any," As she grinned and a light bulb threatened to die suddenly, but she stilled and it managed to last another day. "Anyway, we just had a strong connection those two days. It was something maybe I should have been more sensitive to but couldn't, with how my mind was set up."

This only made the Titans more curious, as they were used to the reserved, controlled Raven, not that they minded the happy, seemingly only slightly muted one. Things still imploded, broke and generally went a little odd when she was emotional, but she seemed to be watching, fixing, trying harder to keep that to a minimum.

"Well, there's also the other things going on, but these aren't as pleasant." She seemed to get a bit hesitant, and the collected Titans settled down, used to matters being serious at a moments notice.

Terra, happy to have had some ice cream with her meal, was her usual joking self as the dark Titan hovered quietly. "What, something bad going to happen on your birthday or something?" She grinned but the look from Raven made her blink. "Oh hell."

The floating Teen nodded and settled back in her chair, her manner back to her calm reserve again. "Honestly, it's a bit worse than that. You see, my father, Trigon, is coming on my birthday."

The others blinked, but Terra blanched. "Er. The Trigon? Cult of Blood, Trigon??"

Raven nodded, and addressed her hands as she finished her explanations, the other Titans growing grim as her tale unfolded. "See, he's an inter dimensional evil, a demon, demigod or what have you. And he's wanting to destroy this universe too. So since he can tap into my Rage, as his daughter, he plans on using me as a gate to this world."

Robin was first to voice the obvious question the others were also thinking, "What can we do? How we can we stop him?" With the shaking of Raven's head he furrowed his brow, waiting for the pale girl to explain.

Raven simply sighed and looked up, seeming collecting her thoughts. "I don't know. But I know I'll need all your help. And then some, but if you'll stand with me, it'll make a lot of difference. It'd make me happy, too." She grinned sheepishly and they all nodded, agreeing without hesitation to help their long time friend.

Cyborg was still curious, and voiced it, "But where'd you go earlier, we lost you for hours."

"Nevermore, it's a dimensional space inside my mind I have a portal to in my room. I went and got in touch with my emotions again, trying to sort some things out." She grinned and narrowly caught herself blasting the table over. The others blinked in confusion as she stopped there, seemingly gathering her thoughts.

Robin chimed in, connecting the dots from the afternoon. "So, this trip has let you be more in touch with them? Can you express them now?" When she shook her head he got a perplexed look on his face. "What do you mean, you've been... chipper, cheerful since you got back, what's changed?"

"Well you see, when my father arrives, if things don't change from how they are now, I'll die. So I figured I may as well live a little, you know?" The shocked expression on the other Titans seemed to wash off Raven, as she dug into her ice cream with abandon. "Wow, this is good!"

Magnets on the refrigerator burst into flame, and the automatic extinguishers blasted Robin out of his seat when they went off. Overall, dinner was probably best described as odd.

_I Mid October, San Francisco Bay area I_

The Bay was pretty, by most standards, this time of year. The few trees that shed leaves were full of unusual colors, and the temperature was comfortable for just about any kind of dress. It was a lovely place, and many thought the best they'd ever lived in or visited.

The sky over a plot of land near the corner of El Camino Real and Sneath decided at that point to rip open, a vague pink spear of light shooting forth and impacting the ground hard, a cloud of dust and debris rising up as the rip closed, leaving the otherwise unmarred sky to it's fall duties.

Jinx was filled with a sudden urge to burn whatever city this was down. When she could move again. _Oh. My. God. I'm so not ever touching that thing again_. She slowly took stock, searching for broken bones and other injuries but finding none. Only a raging headache and wicked sense of disorientation. _Well, judging from the brief look around on reentry, I should be... in a city._ Nodding resolutely, she wobbled to her feet and stumbled toward the nearest landmark.

There some yards ahead of here was a cast iron archway, her still blurry vision unable to make the words out at this distance. She rubbed at her eyes again, hoping this lack of focus was a result of her... unique handling of the Slideway. _How did that song go? If you have to take me apart to get me there, I don't want to go, or something like that right?_ She giggled to herself and started whistling jauntily until she noticed the landscape around her. Small memorial stones dotted the ground, and in the near distance she could see a row of marble vaults. The tune faded and appropriately, died on her lips as she realized she was in a cemetery.

Her eyes widened and she dashed for the gate, a chill running up and down her spine, _Creepy, creepy, creeepy!_ Breaking onto the sidewalk she skidded to a halt, leaning down to her knees to catch her breath. Spying the name of the acreage from the corner of her eye, she shook her head and gulped more air into her system. "Well, at least I'm not far off," She managed between gasps. The archway above her dourly proclaiming this the Golden Gate National Cemetery. She was in San Francisco, and somewhere a few miles away, was the sister city of Jump and Titan Tower.

She took in her surroundings as her senses cleared, the last hazing remnants of her sudden transit fading. The street was fairly clear, for midday, and she seemed not to be drawing too much attention, dressed as she was and dashing out of such a place. Biting her lip as she was prone to do, she started the long walk north, toward the metro area proper and she hoped, a certain familiar face.

_I Mid October, Justice League Satellite, _Refuge_ I_

Zatanna paced in the large monitoring room, the blue garbed tech in front of her nervously tapping away at various controls and panels, the tension in the room making him error more often than not. "Can you stop that pacing, you're driving me nuts!"

The dark haired witch stopped, realizing with a start she had been pacing. She took a deep breath to settle her nerves and watched the triangulation patterns fail again and again on the monitor. "So we can't figure out where the Slideways put her, because for all intents and purposes, they don't even know?"

"More or less." the technically inclined hero noted. He tapped again at the terminal and looked over at Zatanna, "Where would she possibly try to go?"

The woman twisted her hair around a finger, contemplating how to handle this. _Should I try to let the League deal with her, if they even decide to, or do it myself? Or should I do anything at all? Really this isn't any of my concern, outside of what that Half-demon's father will do_. She shook her head finally, letting Beetle come to his own conclusion on what it meant.

He looked back at the screen, and having received the same memo as the others, took a chance and centered his searches on Jump city. When everything came back with a high percentile negative he frowned, scanning the results again. _High percentile negative?_ Meaning there was some possiblity?

"What is it, did something show up?" Zatanna was nervous for her charge, for many reasons. This little escapade, if handled badly, could undo all the work they'd done to clean up and polish the younger girl's record. If she somehow complicated the situation with Raven, the results could be much more deadly.

The blue uniformed man shook his head, not sure what to make of the readings. "Not really. Basically Jump is clean, but it isn't sure." He widened the parameters and frowned. "Too much background interference. I can't locate anything without a solid signal."

The witch nodded and left the room, debating her own course in this strange play. Finally she found herself outside the door of a long time colleague and peer, and smirked to herself as the door opened before her. "Welcome, Zatanna. What brings you here?" Kent Nelson stood, his blue and gold armor in place but lacking the helm he normally wore as his calling card.

"Fate apparently. Evening Doctor, mind if I impose a few minutes, and discuss something with you?" She grinned as he gestured inside, his calm expression never slipping at her joke.

"Of course, ever you are welcome here, for whatever reason." He stood by the room's sole chair, gesturing for her to have a seat. Zatanna felt far too much like this was turning into a psychiatric evaluation and laughed quietly, shaking her head. The two stood uneasily as she gathered her thoughts.

Deciding that being direct would probably be the best, she ventured forth. "Fate, what do you know about the young girl, Jinx, who was here recently?" He tilted his head, and shook it slightly.

"Little, other than when any other League member knows. But then, I'm only Kent, speaking. Would you address Doctor Fate instead?" He asked, moving to the desk and the golden helm resting there on a stand. It was nearly featureless, two simple slits for eyes and the slight contour of it below, a gentle sweeping of metal with a single crest, unadorned atop it.

She looked away and nodded, knowing that under the influence of Nabu, the man would have much more in the way of resources to draw on, particularly in the realm of any who touched the fabric of magic. The man smiled and dismissed her anxiety, simply slipping the helm on and standing silently a moment.

"Jinx. She is a new one, isn't she?" The voice was hollow, lacking inflection. Zatanna looked up into the blank white stare emanating from the mask.

She nodded and filled in what she knew, describing, yet knowing Fate as his whole self knew it all already. Such was the power of the one gifted with the prescience over the realm of Order.

"So. One has risen to claim that place it seems." The ambiguous words rankled Zatanna, and she was about to mentions such when a warning hand raised, stilling her. Doctor Fate shook his helmet adorned head and seemed to sigh. "This is a complicated matter, one we must observe and not take a hand in."

She narrowed her eyes and glared openly at that. "But what happens with Trigon? What if she pushes Raven too far, letting her father take her and open the gate early? What if both of them get killed in the aftermath?" She let her concerns spill out, not sure when she'd become so involved, or protective of the two girls and their fates.

If the helmet could have smiled, she was sure it would be at this moment. "Such are the workings of fate. Their paths determine much, but aren't ours to meddle with. She's taken steps beyond what I can see as well. That should tell you enough, with what you are aware of." Kent removed the helm and slumped a bit, shaking his head.

Zatanna knew that answer was all she'd get, and laying a hand on his shoulder in parting, left the man with much on her mind.

_Beyond his sight. Fate, the avatar of Order. Jinx._ The strands seemed all in place, but she couldn't seem to trap them in a pattern, the strings never bending to her will to show their faces. She walked the halls, passing the sights unseeing. Empty greetings and partings as her company came and went, yet still she walked. It was nearly an hour later when she was on the observation deck, watching the world sit in half light, half shadow from their vantage. _Two halves, two aspects, two sides. _

She stopped short as pieces started coming together. Beyond Order, was Chaos. Jinx, bad luck, ill fate. Zatanna's eyes flew wide as she finally put the pieces in place and a chill swept over her as she made the slow trek back to her own quarters, thinking on what to pack for her trip.

The smirk she wore spoke volumes on how much she at once valued and understood the other magicians words. _Oh I understand, but you don't get one thing about me, Fate_. She pulled out her signature top hat and settled her few needful things into a pocket book with an interior the size of the congressional library. _And that being, which side of that coin you flip I'm on._

"I'll be there soon Jinx, and goddess help you, if he's right. You have some rather big shoes to fill, and I don't mean those cute purple platforms."


	8. Chapter 8

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.  
**

* * *

Some things were just made to happen, bound to. Call it fate, or destiny, or the result of other actions. 

The bottom line? Sometimes no matter how hard you fight, you lose. Losing can be good, sometimes.

* * *

**Chapter Eight:**

_I San Francisco Bay Area, Afternoon I_

The warehouse district wasn't a difficult place to navigate, but it was still nerve wracking for her. Her pink cat's eyes surveyed the many towering shipping containers, modern storage moving away from static houses in which to keep things to these modular monsters.

A small slip of paper with directions in hand, Jinx made her way around the yard, careful not to catch the eye of the wandering patrols of guards, or the dock hands lingering about. Her goal was near, she just had to make sure she got there.

She smiled, remembering the brief phone call. San Diego wasn't horribly long distance, but the League didn't pay her for taking up air and looking cute, and her funds were already minimal. She'd had a hellish time feeding the phone till she could connect with her sister, and make arrangements to get things moving. Her expression turned somewhat grim as she remembered other parts of their conversation.

Her father, not that he was a bad influence in her life as she rated them, wanted to meet up and speak with her. Convenient as she was in the Bay, where he was operating. Her sister, having taken over things as went with families, from their mother was in the San Diego area. _Now if we can get Joseph up to LA, we'd have the whole coast to play with_, she mused darkly.

Given, her family's rather shady, _oh who am I kidding_, utterly black background was part of the reason why she was who she was. Other than the meta-human aspect, oh and her magic. That apparently was unique to her. Like her hair. Grinning and skipping around a corner she spotted the block of the yard the container was in, and made the final stretch to her destination.

Things had always been weird with her family. They were very high profile, after all. But her father always had a soft spot for her, even after the divorce and when she went off on her own, leaving him alone with her guileless younger brother. Whom she figured was still in the dark, _he was just... too good, for this family, sometimes_. She'd not spoken to her father much since before the Hive took her in, and she actually had assumed he'd disowned her in time.

Apparently, this wasn't how he thought of things. _Sorry Raven, I have to see to one thing before I can come be your Knight in Shining Armor. Pink shining armor, at that_, her grin settled into a grimace as she opened the noisome box, and slipped inside, letting her cat's eyes adjust to the darkness. She surveyed the contents with a whistle, ducking at the echo and swatting at her ears. _Loud!_ She hoped no one else had thought to wonder why the container was suddenly having whistling fits, and set about getting what she needed.

The container, she was told was an innovation her sister had picked up from her during one of their rare family get togethers. They'd discussed the problems with safehouses, and how they'd always be a liability and evidence dump, as long as they were static, which is what was needed for a collective available meeting and hiding location.

The answer, was to make them not only portable, but disposable. A shifting location along the warehouse and stockyard systems, with a monthly or less rotation, organization-wide known address. To spice it up a bit, have last month's booby trapped.

She rubbed her hands together and slung the newly found and stuffed courier pack with goods, needfuls and cash. Looking around in the darkness she nearly tripped on a set of keys laying on the floor, spilled out of the small watertight container she'd rifled through. _Keys hmm? Well where there's a key, there's a lock... where do you belong, little shiny?_

The container was the size of it's company nearby, all the size of semi trailers. Peering into the darkness she grinned in excitement at the vague lump in the back, beckoning to her. Jinx ran her hands over the canvas and purred, _Christmas comes early for Jinxy, this year!_ as she pulled the material down.

"Oh. My. God." Her hands swept over the curves and caught on the corners, her smile growing with each moment. Jinx crawled up on the machine and practically purred as she melted into the contours of it's grasp. Oh this day was very much looking up.

The hands watching and working in 27-B had it easy, with the yard basically being held in hiatus pending a new shipping order. Basically, everything was in mothballs, and all they had to do in this lot, was hold the gate. Easy work, and as it seemed this particular shipper had issues as such often, it was a much envied and sought after shift. No one was really expecting the roar of an engine, and the peal of tires laying down track as they rushed past at nearly one hundred miles per hour from absolutely nowhere. The hands watching the gate barely got clear as the machine darted around the bar with little difficulty, and with it's rider cackling madly the entire way, vanished down the highway.

Jinx was in love, and she reminded herself to apologize to Raven for cheating on her. _Oh my god, at least Becca has good taste, this thing is amazing._ The motorcycle roared it's agreement, the BMW K 1200 R smoothly eating up the highway beneath her. The 1157 cc engine set up a bass thrum in her body that set her teeth in a perpetual grin, the helmet she'd found keeping it private but her occasional whoop of laughter or raucous shout giving away her excitement. _Definitely owe her a good present this Christmas._

The feline teen remembered her errand and leaned the cycle over, taking the turn for the offramp and the bypass to get to the restaurant haunted by her father like a pro racer. She smiled, remembering the many lessons her father had given her on riding cycles, and how he'd been the only reason she'd gotten one as her first vehicle back when she started out on her own.

Remembering some of her dad's old traveling music, Jinx hummed and sang a few passages, her lips curling as into her Cheshire smile as she did so. It was a slow, heavy tune, better suited to her father's old chopper, but it still rang true. The confines of buildings were anathemic to her sometimes, and every time she felt the need to just break out of her shell and pound pavement, it was this tune that sang in her veins while the machine under her set up a beat. Jinx wove the heavy machine fluidly through the midday crush and narrowly made the turn before the Golden Gate Bridge, the newer city of Jump up ahead and looming, the bay skirting it. She grinned and waved at the city as she doubled back around a turn, taking the small avenue that lead to her father's domain.

Pulling up alongside the fusion restaurant, a mix of Mediterranean and eastern cuisine, she waved to Paul, her dad's usual bouncer and wiggled her eyebrow as he took in the bike. "Raiding your sister's stash, eh?" She slapped him on the shoulder in passing and hung the helmet on the coat rack by the door. "He's in the back, office. It's good to see you again Jenny."

Jinx smiled warmly at the broad man and nodded her thanks, before making her way to the mentioned office behind the kitchens. As she went people hailed her and she exchanged small greetings, welcomed again like family. She was family after all, not one of the 'made' men her father often relied on. She was blood. And that earned her, as well as her own exploits and successes, a measure of respect.

She took a steadying breath and opened the door to her father's office, and ran in to give the large man a hug. They'd been apart a long time, but with the look he gave her, she knew it was going to be a tearful reunion. The reunited pair talked long into the night, and even went on a late night bike ride together, her father promising to settle the issue of the bike with her sister.

Alas, all good things must end, and it was nearly midnight when Don Wrangler, crime syndicate boss of the San Francisco and Jump city area, started the conversation with his younger daughter in earnest. He desperately wished it was a simple as taking a colleague back to his office to discuss business, but what had been worrying at him for the last six months was something they had to share in less official ways.

_I Titan Tower, That day I_

The Teens had shared a tense, and sometimes confusing two weeks since Raven's trip to Nevermore. They'd adjusted to her slightly more open state, the dark Titan mellowing significantly to reduce collateral damage and strain on Cyborg's repair budget. The compromise was acceptable to all, and Raven still managed to pop lights and occasionally combust things randomly, but it was understood why and no one minded.

After all, it was a simple task for her to set most things aright.

They'd for the most part come to grips with the idea that Raven could die on her birthday, if the incident with her father went as he planned. None of them knew what to do about it, sadly, as it was beyond or above their abilities to manage. Being a half demon, Raven was the only one with practical knowledge, and she was the source of what they knew. It made for some bleak days and introspection.

For her part, Raven was handling things very well. At least she believed so.

The small black creature darted around the corner, a blue cloaked blur in hot pursuit as it dashed headlong down the hallway. It's four winking red eyes seemed panicked when the broom the Teen chasing it slammed into the ground it had just passed in flight.

"Back! Get back in my my head you little snit!" Raven snarled, narrowly missing Beast Boy's opening door as the figment of her fear bolted into his room. He squeaked when he recognized it, then went flying into the air as Raven flew after, bowling him over and diving into his closet after the black thing. The door shut and a cacophony of slamming walls, breaking fragiles and crashing sounded from his closet as the green youth looked on with tearful eyes.

"My... my precious collection... " He sniffled then screeched as the door burst open, the small black fuzzball that was the last remnant of Raven's most recent mental breakdown clinging to his face desperately.

Sadly, her focus was on the critter, not her compatriot and the broom met Beast Boy's face with a resounding crack, the figment dissipating into a noxious puff of smoke as the other Titan wavered and fell where he stood. She raised the instrument of retribution high overhead until she saw the blatantly broom shaped print on the other Titan's face, and his current state of unconsciousness.

"Oh dear." She minced to the door and peered about, seeing the coast being clear, she waved her hand anxiously behind her, mending the damage to his room and what she could of his face, before bolting back down the hall to her room. Ducking inside, Raven breathed a relieved sigh and flopped back on her bed.

"At least it hasn't been boring around here," she mused, kicking her feet idly against her comforter. The sisters and her had come to an easy truce, mostly in that she'd try to not stifle any of them, but needed some measure of calm as she still had problems controlling her outbursts. Besides, abject emotional fits were too alien to her long time resolve, and actually made her a bit ill.

She'd been trying to keep things settled inside as well as out. There had been one bad day, a week ago when they'd fought Dr. Light, and she nearly reduced his mind to a vegetable, giving in to Rage just a bit too much at his mocking words. The darkness of the Middleworld didn't agree with most it seemed. She'd been snappish and ill for a while after, only coming to grips with it as sleep overwhelmed her and the collective press of her sister emotions finally were able to subdue Rage and calm her.

Mostly things were going alright. The anxiety over her father's return was telling on her in subtle ways though. One of those, manifesting as her repressed fear, she'd just managed to deal with. Those small incidents were more common these days, and it was getting more than a little bothersome to have to daily clean up after her mental effluvia. It seemed like every day or so some new thing or critter or something popped up to grin and glare at her with her father's eyes, annoying her into action.

Raven clung desperately to the few things that helped her maintain her peace, without resorting to her mantra and simply quelling her emotions cruelly. She had to some times, and they understood, but she never let it become habit as it once was. It was simply too easy, and the trap was that. She'd repress herself, but only the emotions her father needed would escape, be strong enough to break her resolve. She refused to let herself be played like an instrument.

She kept one of those things with her, by her bedside and on the nightstand on the west side of the room. It was a capture frame from the surveillance system of Hive, the frame had been cut away and only the grinning, excited face of Jinx. Her hair up in it's wildly swept horns, with her shoulders defining the lower side of the picture.

She'd snuck into the labs one night to see those recordings, and been found by Cyborg the next morning, her energy giving out as she sat and reminisced, the image of her lost friend plain on the display. He'd acquired some photo quality paper for her, and that afternoon the Titans gave their blushing friend a gift that she'd been very openly happy to receive.

The team had gone in together to get a very ornate silver frame, Robin reinforcing it with a polymer that seemed resistant to Raven's magics. They'd placed the picture Cyborg printed out into the frame, and presented the gift to a tearful Raven.

She'd kept it on her bedside since, a reminder to be strong and not run from her future.

Raven kept her eastern blinds open, as she was prone too, and still meditated facing east. It seemed less... potent these days, though. She blamed the new acceptance of her emotions, though.

It was on one of her somewhat obsessive, she privately admitted, hunts for Jinx that she stumbled on the JLA records regarding the admittance, but no further information, of a Jennifer Wrangler, into the Reform Protection Program. It was dated the day Jinx supposedly left town, and Raven immediately struck a chord with the file, feeling in it threads of her lost friend.

Approaching the League wasn't getting her anywhere, and if anything they seemed rather hostile to her, obviously wary as her upcoming birthday and impending key role was a known factor to them. She'd been very open with the League early on, and was learning that sometimes you just didn't need to show your entire hand immediately the hard way. She still tried, even going so far as to just try and speak with Zatanna. Those efforts came up as dry as the others, as the woman seemed to have departed the satellite rather suddenly.

That left many unanswerable questions for the young Titan, which only added to her growing frustration. She was so close! But it never seemed to materialize, her desires for this situation to give her some opening, some passage out of her own self imposed and coincidence reinforced tower prison. She sometimes felt that the Titan Tower was a physical representation of her mental and psychological state, herself locked away in it, with no real hope of escape, only a certain doom that approached with each sunset.

The gloomy thoughts had her shaking her head, looking for the headset to her small stereo. As she listened, idly skipping through channels without stopping to hear more than a few strands of music or commercial from each, her thoughts wandered.

_Jennifer Wrangler._ She mulled the name over in her mind. The thing that kept prodding at her, seemingly just a bend of her obsessive nature but different, was the name itself. Sure it sounded nice. That last name was familiar though. Raven furrowed her brow and thought of that. _How often do I even hear last names?_ She mused. _Almost all the people I deal with use call names, group identities, secret aliases. Criminals hide behind them. Who would openly use a name?_

Sighing, her mind aching from the amount of time she spent in contemplation, she rolled off the bed and made her way to the common room, the huge circular couch welcoming her with cushiony goodness. The boys were playing a game, and for once it was a cooperative one, rather than competitive. She settled on the far side, grinning sheepishly as they waved and back and curled up.

Thus Raven napped, the sound of her roommates, team mates engaging in happy activities lulling her to sleep. The others grinned and moved to the kitchen and dining area, not wanting to disturb the exhausted girl, finding snacks and odd things to do as they sat at the table there.

Starfire was bemoaning her dwindling supply of mustard and the current lack of snacks when the Tower's alarm sounded. The Titans moved to the main screen, Raven rubbing at her eyes and sitting yawning as the screen resolved to a warehouse storeyard down on the bayshore, the image fuzzy from bad reception. Robin frowned and stared at the image there, trying to make the person out.

"Teen Titans here, what's the problem?" He finally tried addressing the caller, hoping someone wasn't pranking the security network again. When there wasn't an answer, he started to move to disconnect the call when the other party finally spoke. The distortion was horrible but they could make out the speaker.

"Sorry, I was just getting details together. Turns out it's just a random joyrider, nothing to bother you guys about. Sorry for the inconvenience, Titans." With that the line dropped and the Teens sat confused, looking at each other with similar expressions.

"Huh, Cyborg check the network, make sure that wasn't really a false alarm." The metal Teen nodded and went to scour his computer network for more data, as Robin turned to the rest of the team. "Terra, you and BB take night patrol, I'm going to work on some database updates, and see if anyone's broken out or come to town. Something about this smells."

Terra wrinkled her nose and poked the green Teen beside her. "Could say that again. Sure thing, but he's got to shower first. He's been playing games all day, he reeks." She stuck her tongue out at the abashed changeling and walked off giggling. Robin smiled at his blushing partner and shoved him at the door.

"You heard the lady, to the showers, BB." Turning, the Boy Wonder's expression leveled out, as he motioned at the couch with a nod of his head to Starfire. The two found a still yawning Raven blinking confusedly at the monitor. "Raven, you ok?"

The violet haired girl swept them with a look and yawned behind her hand. "Yeah, I think so. Just... sleepy. Did we just get prank called?"

Robin shook his head while Starfire glided down to settle beside her friend. "I don't think so, just seemed odd. But don't worry, Cyborg'll get to the bottom of it, if there's anything to be found." He grinned at bit at the sleepy girl as she drifted along beside Starfire, the Tamaranian leading her to dark Titan's room.

Once in the halls, the orange skinned girl cast a worried look at her companion. The news hit her hard; that they may lose their friend and long time ally. She simply wasn't ready for such a thing to happen. Starfire stopped the blearily blinking Raven and took her by the shoulders, looking at her steadily.

"Friend Raven... I know, that the speaking in figures I am not so cunning at. But you have always been able to find my meaning well," She hoped her words reached her, as they often did. "I am not ready for you to go away. Please, if there is any way to stop this sad day, let us help you."

Raven blinked at the suddenly intent alien girl. She'd known they'd been affected by her news, what there was that was news the other day. They'd known a long time that her father was a threat. How much of one, to her specifically was new. She was touched by Star's concern and nodded, not knowing what to say. "I know, that you all want to help. But right now, I don't know how to change it. How to really do anything I need to." She looked away at the other Titan's confusion.

Starfire knew Raven, had known her a long time. This was not her Raven, this unsure, confused girl. With the joyous emergence of her smile and other emotions, she seemed to also find vulnerability. This worried Star, as it meant that the previously invulnerable Raven wasn't, anymore. She did the only thing that she could think of; Starfire hugged her.

It only took a moment for her to register the warmth of Starfire's embrace. Her sleepy mind snapped to attention and she drifted surprised, but didn't draw back. She hadn't been hugged by any of them since her return, and her initial outburst by her door. It was nice. She had missed such simple comfort.

The Tamaranian smiled as she felt Raven tentatively hug her back, and pulled them, still drifting in air, down the last few feet to her room. "It will be ok, friend Raven. We will help any way we can," She settled the sleepily nodding teen in her bed, and swept back to the door, smiling as her friend curled up into her blankets. "Just tell us how."

Raven hesitated a moment, looking as if she would say something, then shook her head. "Soon, I'll know soon. I guess I just... something is missing. But I can't find it." She looked away and pulled the blanket up to her chin, Starfire feeling at a loss, just turned and made her way back to Robin's side.

The two shared a companionable silence until Cyborg made his way back to the main room, a puzzled look on his face.

"Hey. What news?" Robin watched his teammate look over a printout before handing it too him.

Robin's eyes widened as Cyborg nodded. "We got pranked, but it's more than that. They set up a voice changer, judging by the weird modulation." Pointing to a section of the analysis he continued, sounding grim. "They staged the call, which is hard on it's own. But they also spoofed the source. The shipyard didn't make the call."

The Boy Wonder stared at the ground ahead of him and considered this. "Why? What do they gain?" He wasn't sure, and with what they had to work with, wasn't sure they could find out. "Keep at it, and keep an ear open." Her ran a nervous hand through his hair and grinned suddenly.

Cyborg raised an eyebrow, then elbowed his partner good naturedly, "Oh-ho, you going out on the town tonight big man? Finally taking some time to paint the town... orange?" Waggling his eyebrow now, he laughed when Robin sputtered an affirmative.

"We need to get out of the Tower a while, just relax you know?" At the other Teen's nod he clapped him on the shoulder and made his way to collect Starfire for their evening out.

He laughed when he caught the end of a conversation regarding why Silkie had to stay home this time.

_I San Francisco Bay Area, Mid October I_

The unlikely pair sat and laughed, shaking their heads as the basement crew moved to tidy up. "So that was her, looks like she was napping. I feel bad for waking her now."

Jinx's smile was threatening to topple the top half of her head off, and it was a sight her father missed. It may have been difficult and a bit of a trial to make the faux call, but to see that was easily worth the effort. "I do too," admitted the young witch. "But it's been forever, and well... It's just nice, y'know?" She grinned sheepishly at her father, as he shook his head with a grin.

He chuckled and watched his youngest with a raised brow. "The only thing I worry on, is-"

She held up a warning hand, cutting him off. "We'll... um. Figure something out." Her rising blush set him into new laughter and he left her breathless with laughing, as he always seemed to. They bantered back and forth for some time before the elder Wrangler laid a hand on her shoulder, bringing her up short as they sat out in the dining room, enjoying the cuisine of his restaurant.

"Jenny, I enjoyed catching up with you a lot. But I do have one very serious thing to speak to you about." Motioning the staff to close off this section, Jinx had an ominous sense of foreboding, one she hoped would prove unfounded.

The staff moved silently, looking collectively agitated as they did so. This did nothing for Jinx's nerves.

Finally, cozily ensconced in the restaurant's private dining room, her father sighed and leaned on the table before her. "You've always been a quick study. My brilliant Jenny." He smiled and her eyes widened, her head shaking slowly. "Yeah, it's been a while, but I think soon. I'm sorry, I didn't want to ruin... " he trailed off as his daughter lunged across the table, hugging and making small sad noises. Sighing he held her, not knowing what to say to soften the blow.

She knew it was about this. Knew it when she saw the note one of the couriers held. That they'd been all handed them, said volumes. Even her sister had been in the know, all the way in southern California to pass the message along. He'd exposed a lot by trying so hard to find her, and that meant something big. And bad. Jinx's face crumpled and she sobbed openly, clinging to her father's jacket collar, the lapels crushed in her hands. He simply held her, soothed her as best he could, gentle hands running over her back as they had many times in the past.

_His cancer must be back. He'd done so well... we all thought he was better_. She sniffled, and realized how little of the last few years she'd spent near him. Always concerned with making her own way. Always pushing to prove something, to someone. But never looking back, always just ahead, just at what she could hold on to. Jinx felt suddenly very ill and drew back, running off the the restroom with a gasped apology.

The elder Wrangler sat quietly, wishing for all the world he never had to tell his daughter anything that would cause her to look so sad.

Restrooms in public places were never Jinx's favorite location, but she'd practically grown up in _Luella's_, it was her second home, like a best friend's house. She sat on the meticulously tiled floor and stared at the wall, her hastily eaten dinner with her father an unpleasant memory, washed away. The cold tile eased her mind, seemed to help settle her thoughts. She screwed her eyes shut tight as the door creaked, sounding impossibly loud in her ears. Footsteps sounded quietly, and a rustle of cloth nearby told her she had a visitor, but she would not move. _Not now. Whoever you are just see I'm not up for it and leave, go._

"Hey, Candygirl." The voice was gentle, timeworn only around the edges. She still clung to her own knees but looked up into the face of Marina, the longtime head chef and her babysitter for many years, her only one that she could remember. A corner of her mouth lifted slightly at the old nickname, a nod to her shocking hair. "So he finally cracked and told you hmm?"

The young girl nodded slightly, face still buried in her knees. "So he's finally free to relax some then? Good." Jinx looked up startled at the woman's words, a look of betrayal and hurt plain on her face. "Oh be still. Listen to what he's not told you yet.

"Don has been busy, very busy these last six months. The rings and splinter mobs are all under control, and cowed to the point of being non-entities. He's taken an open stance on Meta's, as your father he was expected to go one way or another, and you are his treasure. He'd never turn against you." She smiled and sat on the small bench across the way, near the sinks and the door with a small grumble at her joints. "He's been aiding the Titans with tips when they suit his needs, and keeping things organized, clean. There's still parts of business that aren't very... pleasant. But he's made the city a decent place, for those that need an indecent way."

The young Wrangler listened numbly, attentive but expressionless as her friend and her father's long time confidant continued. "He's spent all the time since you went off to 'college', he calls it, cleaning this city up. For you. He ships his harder cases to Rebecca, in San Diego, she's always been a hard nut to crack." The older woman shook her head slowly. Gathering her thoughts she yawned behind her hand, grinning apologetically to her once young charge. "I believe, truly, if not for his love of the people that he cares for, those who are loyal to him, he'd leave this all and just let it go. But he has a responsibility to them, and there have been none more suited to being in his place." Marina drew herself up and stared at Jinx with fierce eyes. "The Wranglers own this city, protect those that have need, and whether the upstanding half care to admit it or not, without your father this city would be another Gotham," the force, resolve in the older woman's voice pulled her out of her sullen mood, and she nodded.

"He's never been one to let things go too far, has he?" Jinx smiled, remembering all the times she was present, thinking back at her father's often held meetings. No one suspected her of being his daughter - the meta blood in her veins made her too different from him. She realized he played a dangerous game, being so exposed, with his family to the people with which he did business. But the respect paid him was never betrayed.

He'd never shied from protecting his people. The low towns were owned, operated, funded, and dependent on their family. It was as if the twin cities had two faces, a night and a day one. Her father was the night mayor, he just went to work and took over as the other left. "We've never had huge drug, or... worse problems. He's always watched out for what he left for us." She curled up again, cheek wet against her knee, the fabric of her pants soaked there through long ago. "He's always made me proud."

"Like you made him. You don't see it, but having you go on your own, spread your wings was something he'd hoped for, but would never admit to." The matron smiled, standing back up to arrange herself in the mirror. "He was proud, that you'd grown to know things, things he'd never tried to teach but knew you needed to know. Don was afraid for you to be his heir, but he was never a lazy man." She smiled, a smile Jinx recognized. They were lovers, then. Are. I'm glad... she's what he needed. Me too.

Jinx nodded, stretching and moaning. "He always had me learning. Leaving his ledgers around me. Having his friends, collegues show me things. By the time I was ten I could pick a lock and do double entry bookkeeping." She grinned, remembering how happy he'd been, scolding her in such a fake way for playing with his books.

Something bore at her mind, and she furrowed her brow, catching Marina's eye before she turned to leave. "What did you mean, finally relax though? You aren't the morbid type, so... yeah. What did you mean?"

Marina smiled, a sad smile but genuine. "He wants to just enjoy some of his last days. While he's not wracked with pain. I think he'd like to spend them with you, and his family. Will you give him that time?" She knew the child's answer. _Child, listen to me. She's done more than I have, in her short life. Getting silly in my age._

Jinx nodded immediately, wanting that suddenly very much. Wanting to just spend time with her father, without him being Don Wrangler. Just William. That made her blink.

"What does my sister go by?"

Marina smirked and shrugged. "Rebecca, mostly. Some people call her 'Becca. Mostly you." She giggled at Jinx's rolling eyes.

"No! I mean... despite being far from Italian, dad's always been Don. It's just stuck. But well, what's a girl crime boss go by?" She pursed her lips and huffed as the older woman laughed.

"Why, dearie that should be easy." She wrapped an arm around Jinx and the smiling pair came back to a very relieved Don Wrangler. "Whatever you want to go by, sweetie, whatever you want to." Patting the space in between Jinx's rather shockingly arranged 'horns', she bustled back to the kitchens, leaving a slightly perplexed but relieved man and his giggling daughter behind.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.  
**

* * *

Leadership. It's a heady drug, one that goes to many a mind to bring low the body behind. It also changes those it is inflicted upon, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad. 

All that have tasted it's sweet draught agree with this though: it's a drug best taken with many a grain of salt.

* * *

**Chapter Nine:**

_I Jump City, Jinx's New Apartment, October 16th I_

_Fate_.

Jinx kicked her legs about, from where they hung off the edge of her bed. _My new bed._ Her brow furrowed, pink over pink eyes, troubled. She watched the nearly fluid distortion of her weariness swim across her vision, the walls of the room dancing slightly when she wasn't focusing on how they should be still.

She had gone to the Justice League to be something... _she_, and herself, could be proud of again. Not that she didn't have pride in her skills. _But, it was different._ She sighed, kicking at the mattress viciously. _I was right, Once a thief, always a thief. Didn't even have to walk too far, it found me_. Jinx learned more of herself, but now the hardest lesson seemed that she was destined to always be something outside the norm.

Pondering this for many moments, she raised her hands and pulled her comforter over her face. _When did I begin wanting to be normal? Was it when I started feeling something for her? Not that I really even know what that is. Was it from earlier, when I was young?_ Admitting that, she was sure in some way such was part of the root of the issue at least. Reaching out with a foot, she idly kicked a pillow off her bed.

_So I want to be normal. Or have some deep rooted issues with fitting in._ "So what do I do about it?" The softly voiced question bounced back off a wall and mocked her. Sitting up abruptly, Jinx stared into her mirror with her slitted eyes and for many long minutes just lingered. Her thoughts were a wicked mess, and she knew doing anything about them right now would be a mistake. She needed to calm down, let things sort themselves out somewhat. "Fuck that."

Jerking open a drawer and with as rapid a motion as she could, she gripped and sheared the hair above her vinyl bands lose, the scissors laying slack in her hand and the still fluttering strands of her hair falling before her eyes. Narrowed, contemplating eyes. _Lets see what happens then. If I want it, lets see if I really do. _

Time was short, before she knew that the confrontation... _why did it have to be like that? Maybe they really could just meet? Right. After the way Raven left... it'd not be a simple 'Hi, how do you do?'_ She snorted and pulled a simple white shirt over her head, shaking her hair out of it's bindings and letting it fall down. Picking at it she curled her lip. _Why am I doing this?_ She found some black slacks in the wardrobe she'd picked at and settled on, and with barely a backwards glance pulled a few bills out of her drawer and left the apartment.

A little voice in her head mocked her with the answer, and how it all seemed, all of it, from that day forward, seemed to revolve around Raven. It was at once exhilarating and exasperating. _"Because she didn't want what was there, when it was just you."_ Admitting it to herself stung. But how else could she have taken it? _Alright, alright! If I can't be the me I'm used to, then lets try someone else_. Two birds with one stone, then.

It was a good pun. The humor just didn't seem to touch her.

Hours later, and the dye, the contacts had done their work. She looked critically at herself in the mirror, having found a fitted white dress blouse, a smart navy knee length skirt as well, wanting to see the entirety of her plan at once. Her now auburn hair shone with 'natural' strawberry highlights, and her hazel eyes twinkled under matching brows. The effect was curious, but it seemed to fit. The first thing that came to mind was Rebecca; her blonde, blue eyed sister looked like this. Not in colors or styles, but the effect. Daunting, somewhat distant. Cool.

She didn't recognize herself. Nodding with a slight tightness in her lips she smirked finally. "Well then, lets attend to the business at hand, before I feel the urge to print some business cards and put down plastic." The smile never reached her eyes, though.

Cool plastic was against her ear as she made appointments, pulling together strings that her father had left in her care. She arranged meetings with the local triads, the conglomerates, the shady dealers and heavy hitters. The new look would do well with the meetings, she'd garner more respect with a professional air than with her usual look. Hazel eyes swept the calendar on her desk, the laptop there purring quietly with it's banked information. Jennifer leaned back in the chair, her elbow resting on the arm, chin nestled between her index finger and thumb as she planned, counted days.

"This may not be me. But this life is something I can't deny. I can't throw my father's legacy away, there are too many people that depend on this, on us being responsible for them." The hollow explanation was true enough. But still she knew the woman speaking it wasn't Jinx. It was Jennifer. She sighed and picked up the small desktop calendar.

It was an archaic thing, counting a month at a time on tear away sheets. The day was the seventeenth. "Exactly two weeks," she mouthed silently, a red pen in her hand. She circled the thirty-first and then drew a line through tomorrow and the next two days. "Working," she stated to the thing. Then underlining the day after that last designated day, she smiled slightly. The desktop lamp cast quiet shadows on the desk, the pens and collected paraphernalia of her workspace, new and still smelling of packing and the office store, painted a shadow on her desk and the calendar she set aside there.

It was a black thing, with an arched neck, wings out but strained looking. Cool eyes regarded the omen and a soft laugh broke the silence. The shadow fell on the day she'd underlined. "Glad you agree, Sunshine." The woman exited the office and with slightly unfeeling hands stripped the smart outfit away, throwing it against a far wall as she slumped into bed and uneasy dreams.

_I Titan Tower, the next day. October 17th I_

Waking with a start, she scanned the darkness of her subdued room with confused eyes. _Who was that?_, she asked herself, the dream still lingering in her mind after rousing. The Titan rubbed at her temple and moments later the alarm went off, signaling the beginning of a typical day in Titan Tower. The dream faded as she stumbled into her shower, the simple stall barely acknowledged by her as the water left a damp sheen on her skin.

The sun was starting it's trek as the Titans stumbled about, their morning routines intact, for the most part. Cyborg 'woke' first, his recharge time minimal as he always kept multiple battery systems in reserve, charged . Breakfast smells greeted each Teen as they entered the common room, the aroma of waffles and bacon today's choices.

Starfire was typically next, stumbling but cheerful until her morning cup of mustard or horseradish. She handed things to the titanium chef and they shared a morning camaraderie that was comforting. Silkie was absent this morning, supposedly sleeping in.

Robin usually met them half way through Star's morning's first cup, the small affectionate signals noted but not reacted to by their companion. It helped to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two, Robin and Cyborg, that he didn't make a fuss about the Boy Wonder's and the pretty alien's growing romance. The masked Teen read the morning paper, marking out stocks he wanted to call about, and attentive to the subtle flows or public information.

Terra flowed in, bubbly and effervescent in the mornings typically. She and Star chatted amicably as she sipped a soda, and bantered with Cyborg. They'd agreed to head to the mall later and shop for some more DVD's, Terra promising to handle the girl's side of the votes. Cyborg grinned, knowing that likely that would lead to trouble, as the tomboyish blonde's taste in entertainment was often called into question. He didn't mind though, it was a way to hang out with her, and with Terra's sometimes distant nature, it was welcome. Besides, she loved his cooking, how could she be that bad?

Thinking of his cooking reminded him of Beast Boy, and as if summoned, the green Teen stumbled in and promptly began snoring on the table. He slipped a plate with some all grain snack bars and a glass of tomato juice in front of his picky teammate and grinned as he roused with a smile.

When to expect Raven was a riddle, as she seemed to appear more than walk in. Her tendency to float like Starfire around rather than walk lent her silence, so she always seemed to be sneaking up on him, being quieter than Star. She never ate the breakfast's he made, preferring simpler fare. He began taking the liberty of starting the kettle for her once he saw Robin, it being rare she appeared before him, one staple of her mornings being her teas. Her small smiling thanks when she arrived and water was already ready for her morning tea all the thanks he needed.

And so started another day for the Titans, the middle of the month just past and what seemed to be a slow week stretching out welcome before them. Nothing much was planned, practice was later in the day, and they'd paired off to best work on their shortcomings. This week had Cyborg and Beast Boy, Robin and Terra, Starfire and Raven paired against each other. The night's were typically left open, light, easily excused entertainment the usual, as it seemed that those times of day were cursed with the annoyance of their specific calling; villains seemed to prefer the nights for their work.

This morning a slightly different series of events would meet them. The proximity alarm sounded, and as if on queue, the 'front door' doorbell rang out. Cyborg blinked and looked at the clock. "Too early for mail, it's only seven thirty." He surveyed the other Teens sleepily poking at their breakfasts, and grinned. "Be right back, lets see what's up."

Robin was beginning to worry when a moment later a slightly bewildered looking Cyborg walked in, ushering in two other people, and asking them to have a seat on the couch as the other Teens looked on curiously. Most were curious, that is. Raven, if possible was paler than usual and gawking openly at the woman, looking almost as if she'd seen a ghost. Robin voiced what they were all thinking, as Cyborg came back to the dining room.

"What's up, who are they?" He peered around the corner, trying to take in the two as they sat. The woman was smartly dressed, a fitted dress jacket over a black and red silk blouse, a skirt going to just above her knees matching the navy pinstripe of the jacket. Her auburn hair was up in a tidy bun at the nape of her neck, and her black, simple glasses caught the light before hazel eyes. Her associate was an odd one, definitely the stranger of the two.

Purple hair, and a dark complexion seemed out of place when placed in the Armani suit and obviously meticulously kept undershirt and tie. He wasn't large, but he had an air of confidence and capability that Robin instantly recognized as 'bodyguard' behavior. His yellow eyes finished things off, as they took in the entire room in a glance.

"Don't know chief, they just said it was somewhat important to speak with the leader, and that they could wait, but not long." Cyborg pulled a print out from a small output by the computer hub in the kitchen. "Here's the computer readout on them, from the door scanners. He's augmented to the gills, she's a Meta, but whatever she's capable of, isn't showing up. Can't identify either of them, and she's wearing contacts." Cyborg shook his head and glanced at Raven curiously. Her expression was moving from curiosity to thoughtful, and though interest was justified, she seemed outright preoccupied with their visitors.

Robin looked over the papers and laid them out on the table with a sigh, "Well, lets not be rude. We don't get many visitors after all." He grinned and the Titans went to meet their guests, Raven hanging back somewhat, her face hidden well in her cowl.

_That woman... she's the one in my dream. What is this about?_ She hoped the shadows would keep her eyes hidden, as she stared openly at the pretty young lady. She was startled when her hazel eyes instead settled on her first, piercing through her cowl's shadow as if she was out in daylight. _Oh what the hell..._

It only lasted a moment but the empath could have sensed it like the woman were screaming. _Hurt, anxiety, wariness, then she walled up like she knew I could sense it. _Raven's eyes never left the woman, despite the conversation being passed around as they spoke.

"Welcome to Titan Tower, sorry to have kept you waiting," Robin shook hands with both, and the collected two parties sat on opposite sides of the couch, the gray table in the center spreading out between them empty, shadows from the entertainment center giving it an eerily familiar skyline. The woman stared at it and smirked, shaking her head and dismissing the Boy Wonder's apology.

"No need to worry about it, it's obscenely early in the morning after all." She turned to her partner, and he simply handed her the briefcase he carried. The Titans tensed and she smiled again, deftly opening and spinning it around, showing only the papers contained within. "Nothing to worry about here, the guns are in the car." She lifted the corner of her lips again, and Raven started, drawing attention to herself.

"Sorry, just... cold." She blushed and apologetically motioned for the woman to continue. The things she read on her confusing the dark Titan to no end. _She knows me, not like just... aware. Knows._

She tilted her head and after a cursory glance at the other Titans settled her gaze on Raven. Her lips bowed in that slight smile again, and again Raven's breath hitched, something about it slamming into her mental controls like a Juggernaut. "Not sleeping well? Must be something on your mind, perhaps you should get out and relax more. Does wonders." She grinned slightly and flourished some papers from her case, drawing the other's attention but knowing Raven would not miss the wink she leveled at her. The Titan blushed and looked at her feet, confusion plain on her features.

"Back to business though, and sorry to intrude again. After all, it's not often we and your group work on amicable means." The last statement set Robin on edge, confirming his suspicions, but with a raised hand she smiled, shaking her head. "Hear us out; I think you'll be happy we came by."

Jennifer... Jinx knew this was a stupid idea. But if she could fool, _well not really fool_, but convince the Titans of her goals, get them to at least understand the plans she and father made for the city, the part they ran, then she had a chance with the others. If she could sell the Titans on her 'new and improved' underworld, then the rest of the crime syndicate would be a breeze. _Shouldn't be too hard a sale_, she mused, _Father's been working on them for years, after all_.

Robin was still glaring, daring some action from the two to justify his anxiety, the confirmation of it in his tone as he addressed them, "What is it you want then? Why are you here?" He blinked as she smiled again and he cold have have swore she looked at Raven, but he blinked and the impression was gone.

Jinx sighed, sorting papers and smiling at them as she explained, "I take it you're familiar with Don Wrangler, yes?" At the Boy Wonder's tightening glare and the new attention she received from the assembled Titans she raised a brow. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, the simple explanation for today is this; he's stepping down, retiring. He's very ill, and would like to spend the last of his days with his family, the real one." Jinx spoke into her hands, not trusting her eyes to the hero's before her. _Damn it Raven, stop staring at me so hard!_ She practically screamed inside her head. Unknown to her, Raven heard just fine, but refused to comply.

Robin's head tilted and he looked to Cyborg, a small nod his only signal that this was all known, true as far as the networks and datamines could say. "Go on, you have our attention."

The woman grinned, an expression that Raven was internally at war over. The words she spoke next cinched it, and she stilled like a thing carved of marble. "Oh, I'm sure I do. Though I was worried I'd have to dye my hair just to get in the door," she joked, but the look in her eyes as she met Raven's was anything but jovial.

_Who are you?_, Raven sent into the mind that was before her, tormenting her. She was anything but prepared for the answer.

_Maybe I should have made a better impression that morning, Sunshine. Forgetting me so soon._ The slightly mocking quality of the voice at once wounded and put the Titan on edge. She was so full of stalled reactions, from lunging over the table to hug the suddenly familiar woman to throwing her from the Tower out the nearest window. Outwardly, she only addressed the Titans, her expression unreadable. "I come bearing gifts, and a proposition."

_That name... Where have you been?!_ Raven practically wailed into the other woman's mind, all her reservations that this was Jinx flung from her as she curled in on herself, trying to simply sink into her cloak.

Jinx had to review her memory as she came back from the small dark place Raven's tone had sent her to. "... make deals with criminals. Perhaps you and your friend should leave." the Boy Wonder was finishing, her memory telling her that the first portion of his speech being some declaration that they refused her offer, already. _Too distracted! Have to focus... goddess she's so pretty. _With a mental slap at whatever part of her interjected that, she collected herself quietly.

Clearing her throat, she sent what she hoped was a smile, something calming to the other girl mentally. _What the hell do I know about this telepathy thing, I just don't want you upset. Calm down, Sunshine. I'll explain all in time._ She stared at the gaudily dressed boy before her and smirked. "You haven't even heard the proposition." She pointed with a severely manicured finger at the the paper before her. "These are shipment details. Dock numbers. I'm handing you insider information, the tip of the iceberg, on the factions that feed this cities criminals." She knew this was a gross overstatement, but she needed more time. And for this to work. So much depended on her ability to sell this idea, and if she failed, it was all back to square one.

Robin blinked and looked back at the papers, like one would a snake suddenly appearing in your morning cereal. The lists were appealing, the idea of being able to predict, preempt and prevent the flow of material and resources to the crime base in Jump simply by having a stranglehold on all the supply was a heady concept. His logic told him something was wrong, and it all centered on this girl. "We had a working situation with _William_ Wrangler, yes," He put a heavy emphasis on the man's given name, refusing to cater to the idea that despite it being precisely what the previous arrangement was, that they took tips from the mafia. "He gave us information on mob movements that countered his own, but the end result was a decrease in mob related violence. It served both factions well."

The collected Titans sat silent, the only one showing any reaction to this being Raven, but it was lost in the spectacle that was their leader interacting with this peculiar woman. The dark Titan was torn, shocked and more than a little disturbed by the fact her dreaming had wandered and that somehow it coincided with this new Jinx. _Why does she look like this? Is it all a game? Is this some kind of trick?_

Jinx felt the whole thing on a fulcrum's edge and decided to balance it all on the table. "My name is Jennifer Wrangler, yes _Wrangler_, and the reason I'm here, is to change how things my father's crime regime and the rest of the city interact." She stood and Robin tensed, but all the openly imperious woman did was continue her lecture, staring down at the stubborn Titan before her.

"Let me address your paranoia directly. Wrangler, my father, spent his last four years doing what you try and fail at." She more threw another printout than set it at the Boy Wonder's place, turning to retrieve more ammunition from her case. "He rooted out, isolated and then handed you the rival factions you prey on for your status. He directly removed the drug trafficking elements by attacking their end points, and tracing back their supply lines. Once he found them, it was police calls. Human trades, prostitution and slavery are non-existent, as he has contacts all along the coast, and any upstart situations are snuffed out from the source." More paperwork flew at the somewhat befuddled leader of the Titans.

Robin grudgingly looked over her data, and found all her claims to be true. Whatever reason Wrangler had for doing this, he did a good job. And Robin had to admit, a lot of what the Titans relied on for continuing their crusade against the more mundane crime element did rely on it being an organized situation. If the actions Wrangler had taken were missing, he wagered with the Meta-human influence on the city and it's location as a major hub location on the Pacific, the city would be well on it's downward spiral into Gotham levels.

He didn't want the Titans to be an extension, either actual or implied, of the mob however, and this line of thinking, this idea the woman had just... rankled him. They couldn't do what she wanted, and he set his face in a mask of cold denial. "No. We won't work with you like this. The tip-offs and the head's up situation you father had, that was for his own gain, not the city's. We won't be a tool for the mob."

The young Wrangler stared out the windows with a distant look on her face. "He's a good man, you know. He understands the needs of a city, probably better than some spandex clad upstarts that think you can stop crime by apprehending the sloppy trail-ends of the strings of influence that cause them." the sneer she leveled at Robin made him blink, having never had his group attacked in such a way. He bristled at the claim and would have said something but the woman quickly closed her briefcase with a resounding clap and glared at him over the table.

Jinx's original plan evaporated as she stood watching the leader, this boy, sputter his moral effluvia across from her. She'd hoped he'd be reasonable, see the data and agree to her plan. Or at least give her a chance. _It was simple really; all I want is a stronger relationship with them, like my father had. More direct contact, more collaborative work. Police and us, and them all working to remove the dissonant elements, eventually letting the city relax into a better state, with the problems in the infrastructure that fuel my element being slowly removed. Remove the problems, remove the crime, remove the barriers between us_. But in his eyes she was still just a criminal, and the hilarious part, he knew nothing about 'her', as Jennifer Wrangler. It burned at her gut like the careless injuries he'd inflicted on her so long ago.

She felt petty, felt mean and unreasonable, but they needed to see her stance. Jinx – the city's new 'night Mayor', would not be cowed by them, or anyone else. "There will be no more collaborative efforts on my faction's part and the Titans, or the Justice League, for that matter." The statement sent a ripple of protests through the seated Titans and she cut them off with a glare. "You've refused my offer, before I made it. Based on your flawed morals and ideals, that just because I work on the side of those that must be what they are, criminals, does not mean I am one, or that I want them to remain so." She made her way to the large window, staring out of it tiredly.

"I want to see Jump without all the boundaries. Without the police patrols overtaxed, the corporate crime fueling the small crooks to get themselves hurt or killed. I want the resources of people like Slade cut off at the root, the organizations like the Hive unable to network, operate with impunity because they simply have better information tactics than six teenagers hiding in an outlandish tower.

"Brant. We're done here. I have no need to traffic with children who can't see sense." The man beside her, silent up till this point said something in German to his lapel, and they heard a boat roar to life in the distance. He stood with her, a tense moment as the rest of the Titans simply blinked at the woman before them. The look the larger man leveled at them left no questions about his opinion of them. Robin felt he'd given that look at gum on his shoe more than once.

Robin sighed and held up a hand, standing as well and addressing the woman as best he could with the whole situation apparently leveled against him. "Look, we don't mind working with Wrangler as we had in the past. But what you're asking, outlining here is the equivalent to a free pass to your organization." Gesturing at the city at large from the windows he continued, despite the woman's uneven brows, one lifted at his commentary. "We want people to be safe too, not just the ones on our side of the law."

Running a finger along the furrow between her brows, Jinx wondered why she'd bothered to try this. "Listen, and please make sure you actually hear me this time." She spun and advanced on the Teen a few steps, closing the distance so he could see her clearly, "I'm not asking for a free pass for my organization, I'm not stupid enough to assume or ask for such from you. Give me at least the credit my station is due, even if you don't fully understand it. I'm offering you the information we usually only supply to our hit squads. Killers. Not subduers, or police informants." Jabbing a finger at the boy she said the word that curled up in her and nearly made her sick each time she thought about the 'necessities' her father outlined to her. She understood it, but it was still hard to think about her father ordering people to be killed.

He blanched and his face tightened, as she nodded, "Right Boy Wonder, _killers_. I don't want them. I don't want any part of this aspect of my father's business but I'm stuck with being married to this. I _am_ the mob. And if it needs done for my people, it gets done." She turned away and took a deep breath, walking back to Brant's side, a sick feeling already stealing her resolve at this debacle.

He muttered a quiet encouragement, more subdued and softer than he should be able with his stature. Jinx, Jennifer Wrangler, smiled back over her shoulder and shook her head at them. "But I'm fully prepared to do things my way. Whatever needs to be done.

"If you please, could someone show us out?" She grinned and Robin was again struck by a sense of deja vu at this woman before him. "I don't want to get lost in this gaudy toy box, if you catch my meaning. Raven, would you mind? I've always been a fan." She flashed the group a brilliant smile and the dark Teen, surprising her teammates, moved to the door, motioning the pair to follow her without hesitation.

As the door closed behind the three, the Titans looked to their leader, confusion and curiosity on the faces he looked back into. Finally Beast Boy voiced what they were all thinking, in some way or another. "Dude, uhhh. What the hell just happened?" He ran a hand through his green hair and shook it slightly. "I can't help feeling like I just got chewed out by a teacher or my aunt, you know?"

Starfire nodded in agreement, floating a bit lower than her usual boisterous altitude. "Yes, indeed. I feel the pangs of a Knorfka's ire as well. What was the point of this meeting, Robin?" She turned and met his masked gaze, looking up from the paperwork in front of him restlessly.

His lips were thinned and he shook his head slightly. "I... I don't know. I feel like I've made a mistake, but at the same time what could I do?" He sat the collected papers aside and leaned into his hands, resting his forehead on his palms. "I refuse to make the Titans an extension of the mob; we aren't they're enforcers, the dirty work people."

Cyborg nodded but wasn't convinced. "But man, what she said, you know? They use killers on her side. She was offering us the dirt to make a ton of progress out there." He looked at the door the trio had just passed out of. "Think about it. We have one large criminal element, basically backing us up on the inside. They give us the real scum, people we never see, never hear about till it's in the papers. We could do a lot of good with this." He stilled at Robin's quiet laughter.

"You'd let someone else call the shots, Cyborg? A Mafia crime boss?" The metal Teen narrowed his eyes at their leader, a few choice words coming to mind but kept behind thinned lips.

Instead he went to main monitor and pulled up some statistics. The readout wasn't pretty and after understanding it Robin turned away, intently studying the couch cushion nearest him.

"No, I don't want someone like that calling the shots. You see those numbers? That's the pre-Wrangler dynasty situation." The obvious, spiking, angry red line was distinct, and said volumes about the condition of street crime, the kinds of things the Titans were blithely unaware of. "We don't hear about this stuff, and more often than not, never see it happen. But that doesn't mean it's not there." He jabbed a chrome finger at the even, dipping line after a mark on the chart. "There, Wrangler took over, and the citywide crime rate not only leveled off, it dropped."

Robin sighed and nodded, agreed and finally just laughed at the situation. "I know, I know! But it's not as simple as that. We can't let someone outside the Titans, some crime boss call the shots. How would that make us look? How could we keep looking at ourselves in the mirror?" He stared as the other looked skeptical, even rebellious in Terra's case. "What?"

Cyborg cut the display and refusing to look at Robin, said his peace. "I'd say that what she proposed was a good option. Something we could think about, mull over. Maybe discuss." He sighed and looked at the city, the view amazing from this vantage. "But it's not about us versus them, Robin. It's about the people who get hurt. People who suffer, get killed, could have a better way, if things were different."

Turning back to them, Cyborg seemed grim, his face set in a mask. "I think you turned her down without even listening to the situation, because of your own control issues." He made his way to the door, and turning slightly, he jerked his head for Terra to join him. "I think you should reread your homework there, I think you failed this test, man."

Terra, her mind a whirl since the other woman's speech nodded, passing Robin and sighing at him. "Word, seriously. That big head of your's really messed this up. And for someone who wears a mask when he looks in the mirror, you assume too much, man." She missed the look of betrayal on the Boy Wonder's face at that, and instead clapped Cyborg on the shoulder, motioning out the door. "Lets go big man, we have DVD's to pick out." At the larger Teen's nod, they made the trek to the garage and the T-car.

The masked Titan growled, pounding is fist into the table beside the small sheaf of papers. Sighing he had to admit, maybe it was the fact that he'd be taking cues from someone else that had got to him a bit. _But they were criminals! It's one thing to be concerned for them, to look out for them as they battled, when Meta-humans were threatening the city or each other, it was fully another when it came to taking cues on how to fight crime from a criminal! _He looked at the papers unseeing, the only witness to his frustrated display he green teammate.

Beast Boy was torn. He didn't want to turn on his leader, like he felt Terra and Cy had, but then again, he had to admit, what that woman had said made a lot of sense. Rather than saying anything about the last few minutes of conflict in the Tower, he focused on the thing that actually was bothering him most that day.

He poked Robin slightly, startling the Boy Wonder from his glaring. "Sorry, did you say something Gar? I wasn't paying attention."

Shaking his head, Beast Boy furrowed his brow and with his arms crossed, asked what was on his mind, "No, dude. I was just wondering if you think Terra and Cy will be ok, you know?" Robin stared perplexed, wondering if maybe Beast Boy thought the woman was vindictive enough to attack them while out over his refusal, when the green Teen continued. "You know, like if they'll bring anything back decent to watch. Last time, remem-"

Robin cut him off by swatting him off the couch with a pillow, the papers clutched in his hand as he stalked toward his room.

Beast Boy righted himself and stared at the now empty room. "Man, what did I say that time? I hated that "Me, Android" movie or whatever it was. So melodramatic," With a sigh he slumped over to the game system and figured he'd get in some time while everyone else was feeling moody.

Out in the hallway, making their way and oblivious to the conversations going on, for the most part, Raven, Jinx and Brant moved down the many halls to the front door. The large man made a point to put himself between the two women till his boss shook her head and stepped between the larger man and the nervous Titan.

She grinned over at Raven, leaning forward to peer under the severely positioned cowl, the same grin the violet haired teen remembered. "Well... that could have gone much better." When Raven remained silent, the quirky thief stopped, reaching out to still Raven as well.

When the girl simply stared at her hand like it was an errand bit of hair, in need of removal, Jinx withdrew, her smile faltering. "Hey. I said I'd explain. But, like you I have things going on with family that need taking care of."

Raven started, her hood falling back in shock as she looked up into the now amber eyes of the person she'd wanted so much to see these last weeks. "What did you say?" She could only gape as the other girl leaned forward. Her eyes half closed as her head shook slowly.

"I _know_, Sunshine." She held Raven's gaze and smiled a sad smile. "Why do you think I came back, and practically set the Justice League into a tailspin doing so?" At the dark Titan's confused blinking she grinned. "Hey, I said I'd explain it all. I plan to." She folded a small slip of paper into Raven's hand, her fingers lingering along her wrist, palm, the gentle curve of her fingers as she did so.

"Ma'am, we need to be going. Franz has the boat coming around and fuel is not going to last another pass around the bay." Brant's basso voice shook the two girls from a timeless reverie and Jinx smiled apologetically at Raven as she backed away, breaking contact hesitantly.

The two mob members dashed down the remaining hall as Raven stood rooted in place, the feel of Jinx's hand still lingering in her mind. Only after she'd gone a score of hasty steps down the hall did it register to the Titan that the woman was leaving, and in a hurry. "Jinx! I..." She hesitated, unsure what to say when the grin she remembered shone from down the hall.

"Call me!" was the last thing she heard before the door shut and the sound of the boat's engines drawing away registered. She looked down at her hand and raised an eyebrow, incredulous.

* * *

A/N: Expect longer chapters in the future, I'm becoming agitated at having to 'keep it short', despite my earlier decision to do so. And with the plot complicating nicely, it's becoming a chore to put enough in a roughly 6k word file to satisfy the situation I want to expand on. I don't want to plot to suffer over it. 

To my reviewers: thank you for your kind words and continuing interest. I hope this story remains something you wish to enjoy.


	10. Chapter 10

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.  
**

* * *

Who we are, what we are, is always at odds with some aspect of our selves. What we want, can sometimes conflict with what we feel we can have. 

It is the subtle, gentle trap of such thinking that lets one stay entrapped. In hesitation, the snare is set. Without forward motion, one never realizes the ensnaring loops are made of smoke, and mirrors.

* * *

**Chapter Ten:**

_I Jump City, Nightfall I_

The heavy music was pounding away at the club, but she may as well have been made of wood. Pink eyes surveyed the scenery, the loud colors flashing about, the loud people unheard in her ears. Jinx drained the rest of her rum and coke and winced as the drink burned it's way to her stomach.

A lithe form slipped into the chair beside her, and Jinx turned and blinked, the sky eyes of the other woman a hand span away from her own. "Um. Hi."

"That is a lovely color, how do you do it?" The woman beside her, the one from the number earlier she recognized, was running a strand of Jinx's hair through her fingers. The young witch smiled as she remembered the fit of pique that had rendered her back to 'normal', after the failed meeting with the Titans.

The temporary color had washed out easy enough, with her coaxing the water gently. She felt bad for going back natural with two more days of meetings and stress, where Jennifer would fare better than Jinx, but she really wasn't in the mood to care.

She smirked, feeling the warmth of the rum curling around her like liquid courage. "Matches the carpet, actually." She grinned as the other girl blinked and laughed, the brash comment sinking in. She held out her hand and the other took it with a smile. "Jinx, nice show earlier," she rattled the ice in the glass and the bartender snapped to and refilled her drink.

"Whitney, and you must be a hell of a tipper to get Joe to heel like that," the dancer winked at the barkeep, glaring at her and shaking his head in a warning way in her direction. She blinked at that, he only pulled looks like that when there was trouble.

She glanced back at the girl beside her, cute little thing that she was. Pink hair, pink eyes with those cat lenses she kept seeing in the parlor ads, and a porcelain pale complexion. Her outfit was interesting to say the least; "Business punk, I like," she mused out loud, to Jinx's raised eyebrow at her open appraisal. She grinned at the complement, her handiwork making her rather proud.

The Armani skirt had new pleats, thanks to a hasty ironing job and some rather large skull-topped safety pins to keep them centered. A rather severe black belt with a buckle the size of her palm topped it's rather boring pinstripes, she found. Her jacket had sustained terminal injury, as she'd torn it off rather hastily on the way to the shower, and the result being the seams running down each shoulder ripping quite badly. She'd thought about just tossing the thing when an idea hit, and instead she sewed in some black lace, trimming back the rips and sealing them open with a heavy stitch. The effect was rather nice, a kind of lacy window along her back, running down each shoulder. She'd found some satin and doubled the lapel in crimson, then feeling the jacket lacked something, finished it with a redone Victorian cuff along each sleeve, the material salvaged from the shoulder panels she'd removed. She added a drape of the same windowing lace along the inside of each shoulder, always fond of those little wing effects.

Jinx was fast working on her third drink when the dancer, Whitney, had sidled up beside her at the bar. Brant was thankfully off bouncing the last idiot to make the mistake of hitting on her, but she didn't mind the conversation so far. That was until the girl's hand slipped under the hem of her skirt, and she nearly choked on her drink. "Hold it sweety, I'm not on the market, if you catch my drift, m'kay? Just having a drink in my bar," she grimaced as the barkeep smirked at her slip. _So much for low profile, _Jinx sighed to herself.

Whitney, to her credit, only raised a brow. "Honey, how many of these have you had?" She stole the glass from Jinx's fingers deftly and drained the rest, making a show of licking the brim clean as pink eyes watched her, sparkling in the half light.

Blinking, Jinx swallowed slowly, mouth suddenly somewhat dry at the dancer's display, blatant as it was._She's cute, too bad this whole boss/coworker thing and the whole harassment issue would be hell. Well aside from the fact..._ She shook her head hard and tried to dismiss the probing violet stare from earlier that day from her mind. _Must have had more than I thought_. Smiling, Jinx stood, albeit a bit unsteadily and waved at the vaguely recognized mop of violet hair making it's way through the crowd. She grinned at how people seemed to bounce out of Brant's way like he was the prow of an icebreaker.

"Leaving so soon, cutie?" the girl turned, her seductive smile faltering as she recognized the tall man hovering to the pink haired girl's left. "Hey, Brant. Where's Mr. Wrangler?" She was confused, to say the least, Brant being the Don Wrangler's personal bodyguard. The man was never away from his side, and in all the times she'd seen him, he'd never been out on a social situation. And she'd seen him plenty, this being the Don's favorite watering hole, outside of his restaurant. _Something wasn't right, and that girl had said... _

The tall man quirked an eyebrow at the barkeep, who waved the dancer over with an impatient look. "Whit, have a care, you daft girl, for all intents and purposes, that young lady you were trying to crawl up is Don Wrangler, you read?" When she blinked confused, he swatted her with the bar rag and sighed.

"Hey! Cut it out," She squawked, suddenly nervous. _I'd heard the Don wasn't well, but..._ She looked back at the girl and noticed the sad smile there, the now cool glance she was leveling around the bar, the floor and the upper tiers. It was an appraising glance, one a jeweler would use on their latest acquisition. _Or like someone taking in their realm. Oh shit. _

Swallowing nervously she tried to apologize, only to be cut off by the pink haired teens laugh. "Hey, it's ok. Not like I'm really advertising hmm?" They shared a grin and she held out her hand again. "Let me do this again, the right way."

Whitney took her hand after a nervous look up at Brant, towering there like a monolith. Jinx's light voice brought her attention back down, her blue eyes transfixed by lurid pink. "Jennifer Wrangler, nice to make your acquaintance. Call me Jen." She cocked a half grin and Whitney couldn't help but grin back.

"Still Whitney, but it's nice to know the Boss is a pretty girl I can talk to." Her nature getting the better of her, she leaned in and in a whisper cast only for the pink girl's hearing, "And maybe if you're inclined one day you can show me how well the curtains match the carpet, mmm?" She let the last syllable trail off into a purr as she took in the youth's rising blush with a smile. "Back to work for me, see you around cutie!"

Jinx watched the lithe woman slip through the crowd like smoke and shook the heat from her cheeks at her blatant flirting. _Not that she minded... did she?_ _It didn't lead to anything_. Jinx sighed, leaning back on the bar and waved Joe over. The barkeep raised a brow and finished mixing the drink he was working on, then came to lean slightly, his elbow on the wood of his bar by the girl.

"I know that look." She blinked up at him, as he curled his lips slightly, a small knowing smile. He dressed archaically, a white ruffled shirt, wide belled sleeves, garters on his biceps to keep the things in order, a vest and pocketwatch, all topped with his hair pulled back severely in a knot. Seeing him smile was like watching an eagle size you up before swooping down.

Flicking the ice in her glass about she tilted her head, signaling him to continue. Joe only looked back to the floor and nodded in the direction of another girl beginning her routine on the stage. "She started here, right out of high school. Little more than a child, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. Waiting by the door for a week, we finally gave her a job because we couldn't spare security to watch and make sure some scum didn't run off with her." He poured himself a glass of water, downing it in a moment.

"So how'd you know I was thinking about that?" She clinked the ice in her glass again, vaguely annoyed he wasn't taking the hint.

Joe looked back at the stage and then at Jinx, his gaze level and cold. "Because. You're clean enough still to blush when a pretty girl hits on you. That means you're still human, enough so to give a damn." The precise way he said it left her nodding slightly, understanding his meaning, and the implications.

She let the conversation settle around her, but still didn't move, or leave the bar. _Maybe_, she thought, _Whitney will come back, try to talk to me._ She had a wry smile at herself over this. _Oh Jinx, the first person to pay attention to you, and not be a jerk about it and you're practically waiting by the phone. How... pathetic._

Rubbing at her eyes in the flashing club display she suddenly was struck by the need for some air.

Pink eyes looked out on the floor, thinking how odd it was. Being in this place, at her age, and being who she was now. "How am I going to do this," She asked, not really directing the question at Joe, despite him being nearby, or to Brant, knowing he was just behind her. Always within earshot but not close enough to be company. She spoke to the world in general. Or her glass. She didn't really know.

Joe sat some crackers, fresh opened on the bar and slid them to her, a soda beside them. She raised a brow as he took her glass, with another of his ingratiating smiles. "Cutting me off eh?" With a nod he settled back to his place, watching, listening. Jinx felt her eagle analogy rather accurate, as the man seemed able to observe the entire bar while appearing vaguely bored and aloof at once.

"So tell me what 'This' is, and maybe I can give you some advice." He set about organizing his stock, a silly diversion as it seemed they were all in a line already. Busywork, she figured.

Playing with a cracker, idly nibbling off the corners till it was round, she considered the nature of 'This'. "Being Boss. For one anyway. How did dad manage everything, so smoothly?"

Joe laughed, a quiet bark of a sound. "Oh, it wasn't smooth, Boss." She grinned as he tossed her title back at her, good naturedly. "It was a rough situation all around, from what he ever said about it." He rang a bell under the bar and a man, who could be his son from an African vacation appeared soon after, taking his place at the head of the room. "Lets sit, talking makes my feet hurt."

Jinx raised a brow and laughed, figuring it to be a barkeep joke. The two, with the shadow that was Brant, made their way to a corner booth that was flagged off limits and slipped into the seats, Brant never varying from his roughly seven feet from her radius. _That is going to take a while to get used to_, she muttered silently.

"So, finding the shoes a bit roomy, so far?" He grinned, a soda tonic in hand as she nibbled another cracker into a neat circle before setting it back in the bowl.

"Oh yes, quite. I'm a bit actually..." She paused, expression turning serious as he evened out his own features, realizing this was anything but a joking matter to her. "Scared," she grinned sheepishly and continued. "Really scared actually. I have no idea how I'm going to manage all that he did."

The man across from her snatched a cracker before it had been rounded, chewing thoughtfully. "He didn't try to do it all, for one. He always let the section bosses have plenty of autonomy. It kept them happy and thinking happy controlling thoughts, but he always let them know he was there, watching and looking over them." He sipped his tonic, the crackers rather dry. "He also had days set, where he'd do business." He looked out of the booth and caught Brant's eye, tilting his head back, gesturing him to sit.

"Hello Joe, how goes the oasis?" The man intoned, smiling one of his rare, slight smiles and sitting across from the two.

Joe sketched a small bow and smiled back, his expression warm but as Jinx was learning, perpetually guarded. "A peddler's place is at both the front of the line and the back, hawking wares and riling desires. As well as can be expected, really." He swept an arm out at the floor, his grandiose tendencies making Jinx giggle slightly. "Men will always seek water, and while there is civilization, there will be the oasis."

Brant's smile widened, and he chuckled. "So it always has been. So, what can I do for you?" He watched the young Wrangler's crusade to round all the crackers with a raised brow.

"The young Miss has asked how her father managed all that he did, I figured it would be best to ask the one who spent the most time watching him." Jinx blinked at this, never considering it when she was curious over things this past day. _Note to self – be less oblivious_.

The bodyguard looked at his young Principal and nodded a slight frown on his features, as he considered. "He was a very organized man. He set aside days, to meet the various heads of 'state' as you will, those that handle specific things, and ran the organization from such." He reached into his jacket and pulled out an old, slightly worn brown book. It was small and much used, and his hands dwarfed the thing, but he read from it easily.

"Mondays, empty day. Nothing scheduled. Tuesdays, east side and the Bay. Wednesday, central Jump, the musicians, and usually lunch with one person he singled out to work with specifically. Someone that needed a push in the right direction, possibly off a pier, as the case may be." When Jinx paled he shook his head. "Usually sent from the city intact, Ma'am. Thursday, bookkeeping, meeting with the small business owners intermittently. He would have about four board meetings where he handled businesses he lumped into franchise situations. Fine dining, greasy spoons, coffee and cafe." He closed the book and looked back at his young charge, her eyes glued to his small ledger.

"Brant, I know that thing is... important. Somehow. But can I see it some time, maybe?" She felt her father's hands, his mind and intent in those passages. Something about it just felt comfortable, for lack of a better word, to her. When he smiled and nodded, placing it back in his jacket pocket she settled back, contently nibbling another cracker and thinking how to mold her days around this schedule. "Thank you, it means a lot, to see something he was a part of, like that. It'd be almost like he were here with me."

He nodded once and stood again, escorting a man who had stumbled errantly inside the booth back outside, despite his protests. One didn't argue with a small building moving you very long. Jinx looked back over at Joe, and wondered how long, he and Brant had been with her father. _I'll have to ask sometime. They seem... odd. Older than him even. But comfortable in this routine. Hm._

"I think, I should get some air. Finally." She grinned at her companion and he rose, helping her to exit the small booth.

"It can get somewhat stifling in here, especially if one is not used to it." He surveyed the floor and frowned slightly, his voice cast only for Jinx's ears. "But, if you ever do need a place to hide, from the shoes you wear, you know where we are. Your father used to come here often, this is his booth after all. It will be kept, if you have need."

She nodded, as Brant made his way back and took his place to her left, she was sure exactly seven feet away. "I'll likely take you up on that." She started for the door, waving back to the barkeep as she did.

"Hey Brant?"

The titanic man tilted his attention to his mistress and voiced his acknowledgment, "Yes, Ma'am?"

"How long did it take for news that my father had taken over to filter through?" She fumbled at her skirt and made a line for the door, waving to Joe as she did so, he being already back behind the bar mixing drinks for the thirsty of his oasis. Obviously the drinks were covered, her being as much the owner of the bar as such things went.

The tall man considered a moment, before leaning down to speak his answer. "Roughly a month, Ma'am. He was much more... direct in his youth. A bit like you, in many ways." He was inwardly pleased to have realized this, and her small smile only added to his pleasure.

She seemed to consider this, the crowd again parting as they made a path to the exit. "What could I do to speed things up, do you think? I don't really want to spend a month having people mistake me for an urchin and not their boss, regardless of your presence. Not that I mind you, you understand." She sighed as he grinned over her head.

"Perhaps some public display. Sadly there are no other incursive splinter mobs to publicly execute and assert your place." She turned so he'd not have to see her wince. _Not his fault, still not used to how... hard some of these made men are._

He considered still, her silence a signal that this wasn't an option. "Perhaps, Ma'am, your rather unique looks could be used to advantage in this way?" When she blinked up at him he paused, wondering if he'd said something untoward when she suddenly started laughing, the area immediately around her clearing at her mad cackling.

Jinx couldn't believe how easy it was. _Oh I've been so silly. Here wondering about being able to fit in, and I'm working just opposite how I need to_. She grabbed the larger man's sleeve and yanked him forward, dragging him out the door with her, his confusion only getting worse as she danced about giddy out in the cooler, open night air.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" When she nearly fell over from laughing he stared openly, wondering at her sanity. When she slowed and caught her breath he waited patiently, as she explained why she was so amused. And relieved. He smiled slightly, understanding her plight, her anxiety. After all, his former employer was a great man. A hard one to follow.

"Ahh, such a nice night." She leaned on the hood of the car, running quietly in the parking lot. _Mm, too much energy. Need to work it off..._ she cast her eyes around and let her mind grind out and stall as she considered her options. "Hey Brant, you're not going to let me out of your sight are you?" She cast him a sideways glance as he regarded her coolly, shaking his head slightly.

"No, Ma'am. It's my duty to keep you safe. I can't do so whe-" He stalled as she vaulted off the car, her jacket wrapped around his head and hastily tied behind his ears, before she hit the ground somewhere behind him. When he'd finally pulled the thing off his face, and looked around for his Principal, she was nowhere to be found.

_This is going to be a very long night_, he though with a growing sense that perhaps he'd bitten off a significantly larger portion that was safely manageable with the young Wrangler.

The night air had lit up something in her head, and she wasn't one to let such a thing just pass her by. She felt electric, like everything was finally coming into place. _I'm me; Jinx. Let them call me whatever they like, it changes nothing really_. She jumped, full spread and caught the bottom of a fire escape ladder, swinging up and onto the platform above with ease. The metal creaked but by the time someone could cast an eye to see the source, she'd already leaped to the adjoining building, clambering up the Gothic buttress with little effort.

She looked over the city from the rooftop, the small hill the club inhabited with the other local businesses standing over the city from a vantage. She took in the sights, the smells. _My city, it really is_. She laughed, a high peal of delight and sprinted across the rooftops, picking up speed and cheating, pushing at the air with her power as she flipped up impossibly high, landing on a rooftop three stories over the last. She ran for what seemed like hours, clearing roofs, skirting roads and startling sleepy pigeons. Finally she heard something that caught her attention, a strain of music and skidded to a halt.

Jinx grinned her Cheshire grin and looked out over the people below, watching the flow thin out and die off over time, her eyes glinting in the dark at her target.

It was a well known music and electronics shop, the kind that catered to popular demand, but had enough hardware to supply the needs of the populace. _Oh, see, now that is just my good luck. I never did get any music for that new apartment_. She giggled and spun about in place, the exhilaration of an impending heist creeping up her spine, making her shiver. _Sorry Raven, but since coming home, I've been eye-deep in it, and thick as thieves with the thieves themselves. Seems I really am just not cut out of that 'good girl' cloth._

An hour passed while she cased the store, the last crew still working inside as she finally approached the place, the low roof easy to light upon from a nearby building. As her feet touched the roof, she tucked into a roll, coming up in a flourish with a pirouette and bow. A smile glinted under her pink gaze as she watched the last employee trudge to his car, her mind whirring about with plans.

She leaned by an exhaust fan vent and whispered to the air, listening as the breeze answered her with a pleasant purr. Her Cheshire grin never slipped as she marched to the small roof access and popped the lock with a burst of pink force. This particular door had suffered a malfunction in it's alarm wiring, mostly due to overload of heat on the contacts from months of being exposed to the summer sun. She knew this, thanks to her newly honed affinity with elemental energies,_Remind me to thank the Justice League, when I see them next_. Her mirth almost made her giggle, but she kept still as she slipped around the closed circuit cameras and motion sensors inside the store.

The alarm panel was a simple keypad model, and like most, hadn't been cleaned since it was installed. She cast her eyes over it and saw the used keys, scoured of timeworn grime by constant use. The numbers would be useless without a pattern, but she was a smart girl, unlike whoever came up with this code. Punching in the combination, the street address of the store, the alarm system shut down and she heard less than saw the various electrical elements attached go quiet. Jinx bowed to the store, and set about making herself at home.

"Step one," she said as she spun the mannequin modeling a band shirt into a dip, before letting it go with a spin to settle where it would. "Set the mood, oooh, yes this will do nicely," Crooning to the CD she plucked off a rack, she ripped it from it's case and fed it to the store music system. She flicked the machine to a track she liked, and purred as the heavy drum and guitar tune shuddered through lightly used speakers. She'd adjusted the volume to something more workable, that being about 3 decibels below "ears bleeding".

Singing, Jinx skipped along, swaying along the isles as the music rattled the windows. She snatched up a pair of courier bags, and made her way down the isle, dancing as she slipped in CD's and movies, small shiny things that caught her eye into the cavernous bags. "Step two, settle into the beat," she purred, eyes half closed as she danced around the isles, the next verse bringing her up to the stereo and electronics section. She sang along, as she slipped small players and little expensive baubles into the quickly filling bags. The tune was well suited to the deed, being a jazzy romp through a couple's thrift store and yard sale trip, one where they tried to talk people out of their not-so salable items. Scuffing her shoes along the floor to the guitar, the lithe feline countered the drum's tattoo on her hips, her palms keeping time.

She spun about, hands clasped over her head and hips swaying as she sauntered to the front of the store, eyes falling on the promotional display there. Spinning around with a strut, Jinx smirked, slipping they keys from behind the counter into a polished, gleaming door as she unslung her goods into the passenger seat, slipping the CD into the stereo there and sync'ing the two as the chorus played, writhing happily to the music thrumming around her like a storm. 

The engine roared to life, the Miata MX-5's lights blinking lividly in the store as she ran hands along the dash, the convertible hood already down. _Blue is so not my color, but we'll see about that_, she grinned, bags full, music thrumming through her ears and a car to match her mood, practically bucking under her to eat up some highway. She pealed the tires and keyed the roof closed as she tested the engine. It roared, purred and bit at the reins, the sports car's engine easily matching her racing heart and daring her to keep pace. Jinx, not one to tease, gunned the engine when the roof was finally in place. The glass of the breaking storefront window showering the area in a brilliant display, as the tires met street and the elated thief let the car speed toward the city lights ahead of her, the jazzy beat of the song still on her lips.

The darkened streets passed in a blur, her theft induced elation and the few drinks nudging her into a comfortable zone of fuzzy warmth and danger induced high. Reaching into her back pocket she flipped her phone open, dialing a number with a smile. 

"Ma'am, are you all right?" The basso voice greeted her immediately, concern evident in Brant's tone. She giggled into the phone and nodded, forgetting he couldn't see.

Jinx swerved hard and made the interstate with a squall of tires and scattering traffic, never losing the phone from her ear. "Oh sure, I just had to get out a bit, you know? Say, did dad have a chop shop, I have a pretty little number I'd like to see in red..." Her signature Cheshire grin visible from yards clearing the highway faster than the heedlessly exuberant way she drove.

Brant blinked and listened to the wind and sounds of an engine from his phone. "Of course, take the interstate to... " He gave her directions, and tapped the driver to the car he was in, still at the club, to take the directions as well.

As he settled back into the car's back seat, Brant smiled. "So much like her father." He stopped worrying and listened to the strains of classical lightly filtering through the car's speakers. His driver made the trip in good time, smoothly guiding the low profile limousine into the shop.

The usually quiet shop was alive with sound, most of it being Jinx animatedly arguing with the owner of the shop. Brant made his presence known by picking the agitated man up by his collar as he swung at the girl, who nimbly dodged his clumsy blow, ducking out of the way with surprising grace._Brant made a note to not underestimate her again_. She snapped out of her dodge with a raspberry for the shoppy. Brant stifled a sigh.

The shoppy sputtered till he met the dangerously glinting gold eyes of her bodyguard, at which he did a double take and looked around nervously, obviously seeking out the profile of the Don Wrangler, if Brant was here.

"Brant! What brings you here, er. Sorry. Let me get the boys to get this kid-" His mouth snapped shut as the titanic man dropped him on his behind roughly.

"Miss _Wrangler_, I gather, has forgotten to introduce herself. I trust you've been attentive to what she requires of you, Jonas?" He figured, correctly, that his Principal had forgotten to introduce herself, not that he'd blame Jonas for doubting her. _We really must make sure this is spread along the channels of communication soon. Someone is going to do something stupid, and then we'll have bodies to deal with at this rate_.

Jonas was busy massaging his bruised backside until the name sank in, and he looked at the glowering young woman with something akin to terror. "Oh, god I'm so sorry uh. Miss-" He cut off as she dropped to his level and grinned at him, a predator's smile if he'd ever seen one, her sharpened canines on display.

"Call me Jinx, as long as it's just us. Boss to everyone else, read?" When the nervous shoppy nodded, scooting unconsciously from her, she grinned a bit less ferally. "And sorry for bursting in and forgetting myself. Still not used to things." Jinx helped him to his feet and they spent the next half an hour discussing how to modify and make the sporty car her own.

* * *

_I Titan Tower, Late afternoon I_

Robin sat rather morosely, barely touching the food in front of him. Cyborg and Terra had come back in good spirits, and Beast Boy had been playing games all day, so of course he was in a good mood. Starfire hovered as she had all afternoon, since Robin had stormed out of the room.

The Boy Wonder glanced around at the team, and noticed the only person acting off, other than him, was Raven. Brow furrowed he remembered how she'd been reticent during the morning... fiasco, and after.

"Ooh, you guys did good, what's this one?" Beast Boy was picking through the stacks of DVD's that the two had picked up, the bag sitting beside with a contest entry form for a new car poking out idly.

Terra snatched it out of his hands and laughed slightly, "Something about dancing penguins and overfishing, I think. Right up your alley, fuzzball," she grinned, ruffling his hair as the two made their way to pop in the movie, the first decision made for that night.

The others, minus himself and Raven, made their way to the common room, sounds of laughter and the movie sounding before long. He again looked over at Raven, who was staring out of a window rather distantly, her face a mask in the half dark of the room. "Penny for your thoughts," Robin ventured, figuring if anything maybe he could do something about her odd mood, redeeming his day slightly.

She blinked back to the present and looked at him as if he'd just appeared. "Sorry, was just thinking."

He laughed a bit and shook his head, her brow raising slightly. "Nah, that's not a thinking face. Those I'm used to. " When she started falling into one of her glares, he just smiled a bit. "That was a 'trying not to think' look."

When she'd blinked once and nodded slightly, looking at her hand as they lay on the table, he reached out, patting her on the back of a hand lightly. "Hey, if you want to get it out, talk about it a bit, we're here, ok? No need to keep it all bottled up." He stood and stretching, winced. Skipping practice today to think about that meeting wasn't the brightest thing he'd done.

He watched her from the corner of his eye, as he poured a soda and popped his cold pizza back in the microwave. She turned and looked back out of the window again, toward the east. He'd turned his attention to the small takeout menu, his mind wandering when he heard her quietly, almost in a whisper behind him.

"How do you tell someone something that could... ruin you both?" She was still looking eastward, but her eyes were focused, like there was something to see there.

Raven was picturing the woman, Jinx, back at the window. How the morning sun had picked out her hair, her auburn shining in the sun, but she still saw it as pink, her memory overwriting the disguise easily. The rosy sun had helped, as well as the fact it was morning. I_ always remember, her face in the morning. The way the sun picked out the highlights in her hair, the blush on her cheeks._ She blinked, as a light popped in the other room, unnoticed.

Robin sat, watching her, his detective's senses picking at her words, behavior. Something with the pair today, had set her in this mood. He was about to ask when she lanced him with a gaze, her eyes uncharacteristically damp. "I don't know what to do. I know what I want to do. I know what I should do. But I can't find a place in the middle that doesn't make me sick from the extremes."

He was taken aback at how lost she looked. The Boy Wonder would have risen to comfort her, a hand on her shoulder, a kind word, some kind of reassurance if she had been there after a moment. With a strangled sob and the sound of a chair crumpling under some mysterious stress, she folded in on herself and was gone.

Sighing, Robin distractedly ate his again cold pizza, thoughts of the day lashing at his mind in occasional silence when the laughter from the other room wasn't a cool reminder how distant his team felt to him at that moment.

Outside, Raven stood out on the edge of the Tower, her face shadowed from the still reddening sunset behind her. She blinked into the wind and let it billow her cloak away from her. She'd kept it tight to her body all morning, since her shower. The pale Titan winced as the burning marks flared again, at her attention.

The red tattoo's had spread along her arms, the marks of Skath starting their fourteen day trek along her skin, that would end in the completion of the portal spell her father had marked into her with his legacy, his very siring of her. She summoned her calm, forgoing her mantra and the stinging faded, her mind clearing again.

_Jinx... where are you? Why did you come back now?_ She remembered the words she'd said, in parting so recently. Raven was at once relieved her abrupt parting hadn't destroyed any chance she'd have to speak to the alluring witch again, and scared at what all her raging emotions could do, to them both.

Her father was the leader of the crime syndicate, the mob, whatever you wanted to call it, for the two city area. _No wonder I was so keyed to that name, Jennifer Wrangler. I must have picked it up when I was inside her mind, that night._ Shivering in the wind, she sat, watching the lights of the city grow stronger as the day waned, finally falling to night.

Hours passed, as she mulled, thought about what to do. Pulling the small slip of paper from her pocket, she traced the haphazard but flowing script there with her gaze. A phone number, a name, two names. _And I'm the only one that knows, that she's Jinx. _

_I'm a Titan, I fight crime. I subdue and pass criminals to the police. She's a criminal, for all intents and purposes she may as well be __**The**__ criminal in Jump, now_. Raven sighed, folding the paper up for the fifth time that hour and putting it back in her pocket. _What can we do, Jinx? When you do something, when you make yourself my enemy how can I be anything but a Titan?_ She laughed, an empty, hollow sound that echoed into the bay. _How cruel. I finally find someone, a person to care about, and they are untouchable._

The door outside, leading to the roof of the tower opened and Starfire floated out, scanning the pebbled roof for the young woman she knew was here. "Friend Raven, may I join you in the gazing at the stars?"

Pulling her cloak about her, Raven nodded, and the two sat in amicable silence watching the vault of the sky pass slowly overhead. "Did you enjoy seeing her again, seeing Jinx again?"

The quietly phrased question still startled Raven, and her hood fell back, blush evident to the young alien. She smiled, and Raven nodded slightly. "How did you know?"

The Tamaranian watched her a moment before looking skyward again. "Hair colors do not fool me, some things I have been taught to see through." A slight smile graced her lips as she closed her eyes and breathed in the night air deeply.

Considering the usually jubilant alien's words, Raven nodded slightly. "Yeah, I guess it was good to see her again. I just... don't know what to do." She gestured up, toward the sky, not caring that her Skatheen marking was visible. "I feel like one of those stars. Or like a stone here. But whichever I am, Jinx is the other." She laughed quietly, and Starfire frowned. It wasn't a happy sound.

"No matter how we come together, something is going to go wrong." Raven's hand fell and she lay there, quiet as the other Titan stared up, watching the dome of crystalline sky tilt overhead.

"So?" The simple word made Raven blink, and she made sure, reviewing her memory it was even said.

"What do you mean, Star?" She stared at the silent alien as she blinked green eyes at the sky.

The Tamaranian smiled, crooking one corner of her lips slightly. "So it would be difficult. Was not your trip to Nevermore? Will not the fight with your father be so? But do you back down? Do we, in offering to help?" She stretched, catlike and sat up, shaking her hair free of small debris from the roof.

"You have her again. Will you lose her, once more?" She stood and smoothed Raven's hair from her face, smiling tenderly at the dark Titan. Her dear and confused Friend.

Raven's lips quirked, and she shook her head, finally looking up to Starfire and sharing that same smile. "No. I won't."

Starfire strode to the door and looked back at her friend. "I await the good news, then. Good night, Friend Raven."

"Night, Star." As the young alien left, she smiled, her face toward the bay and the city beyond. _She's out there, somewhere. All the work in Nevermore, and I still have to rely on friends sometimes, to get things done_. She laughed quietly, rueful and shook her head. _That's what they're for, though, right?_ Her expression sobered, and a blush rose to her cheeks.

"Sometimes, you need someone to help you, just to be. Be who you really are." Raven's words were soft, and the wind carried them carefully, delicately as far as they would go. It wouldn't be far, but the effort wasn't wasted, and Jinx smiled, the voice reaching her a melodic, toneless thrum, but still Raven's voice.

She lay on her own roof, staring at those same stars. Jinx smiled, her phone springing to life as her hand brushed it, all her anxiety from the day draining away with the simple contact, the first words an all too familiar voice spoke.

Raven hesitated just a moment, then with damp eyes, said only what she could think of. "I missed you."

Jinx smiled, her closed eyes betraying nothing till a single tear slipped down, curving along her cheek. "I missed you too."

* * *

A/N: Song Fee is so pleased with is "Rag and Bone", care of The White Stripes. I don't credit music enough, so I'm going to go back and note those sometime soon. As usual, sometimes I get a scene from a song, and build a story around it. Listen, and tell me that the song doesn't scream Jinx at you.

Someone asked if that fortune cookie excerpt tripe I stick above chapters is original or borrowed: it's original. Call them paraphrases of the chapters, if you wish. They help me focus on what I want to see happen.


	11. Chapter 11

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.  
**

I made a mistake, in Chapter 5 I believe, in referring to the present Green Lantern as "Hal Jordan", when I intended to use "John Stewart". I understand they were both active, technically, during the time in question, but my intent was to use Stewart. Forgive the Retconning.

* * *

Language, conversation are the true, defining traits of our kind. Not our manipulation of the mundane, the physical world. 

It's the manipulation of the thinking one, with the architecture of words and ideas, upon which we build our greatness as a species.

* * *

_**Act Three: In Darkest Night**_

**Chapter Eleven:**

_I Gotham I_

"Master Bruce, there is a call on hold, line two, when you have a moment." The stately man, having delivered the message turned and went about his business, the rather dark and somewhat peculiar condition of the location he was just in seeming disregarded.

The man he addressed sat, arms on the rests of his chair as his broad, square chin rested along the tops of interlaced fingers. Glancing at the small yellow light winking to him on the panel there, he reached behind his head, pulling a cowl in place and adjusting it briefly before thumbing the circuit closed.

Deeply hooded eyes surveyed the man, probably slightly older than Bruce himself but weary looking. His temples were graying heavily and the lines around his face marked a full, wealthy life with much laughter and tears. "William Wrangler, it has been quite a while." The man currently in the chair spoke curtly, no warmth in his voice. Batman didn't spare warmth, at least not for very many.

A smile broke the blankness of the man's expression and he shook his head slightly. "Bruce, you know as well as I that you needn't that mask to speak with me." When the cowled man made no move to change the situation he chuckled slightly and sighed. "So how are things on the east coast these days?"

Batman sat quietly a moment, reviewing all he knew about the west coast kingpin on the screen before him. That they went back some time was an understatement, but situations had took them not only along different fundamental life paths, but also to separate coasts. This was for the best, for both of them. "As well as can be expected, considering. Gotham thrives, and as any thing which does so, attracts those that would prey on it's success." The mouth below the cowl crooked into a lopsided, thin-lipped smile. "On that note, how's business, William?"

"Ouch. Were you not being so blatant, I'd feel like I'd been slighted," despite the words, he laughed genuinely. "Not so good, old friend, not so good at all really. Shall I assume you've gotten news through your grapevine, or shall I bore you a while with a tale?" The mirth drained slowly from William's voice as he spoke and Bruce narrowed his eyes, recalling the four things that could change the elder Wrangler's mood in such a way.

Bruce nodded slightly, and with a deliberate motion pulled the hood from his face. "Go on William, I'm not sure what's going on, but you know you can talk freely with me."

At the lowering of the mask, William relaxed visibly and smiled a bit again. "Thanks, Bruce. So many masked whoevers out there, they set me on edge these days." He cleared his throat with a small wince and Bruce noted the color draining from his features. _Ah, his cancer then_. "So, I hear you got to meet my lovely youngest, what do you think?" The obvious distraction was not lost on the Wayne heir, but he shared a smile with the doting father regardless.

"Oh she was a handful, much like her father. Nearly shut down the JLA satellite for a day with that rather show-stopping exit of hers, as well I might add." Bruce smiled as he remembered the day, and the little debacle in the Mess hall as well as the chase around the halls she'd set them on. He doubted many of the attendees that day had or will forget that particular event for a long while yet. The man on the other side of the monitor laughed, his melancholy breaking at remembering how his youngest had blushed at describing her time on the satellite.

Finally regaining control of his breathing, William shook his head, a slight grin playing along his features, "Ah, she's a handful. But she's a good girl, at heart." He looked up, meeting Bruce's eyes and holding the stare a long moment. "She's the reason I'm calling, as you know I'm not prone to bother you for much, if anything, Bruce." When the other man looked away, face clouded with emotions, Bruce nodded.

"I understand, William. Tell me what it is that has you calling Gotham at such a late hour?" Bruce clicked on a second line, calling for Alfred to return, with some tea. He assumed, rightly that this may take some time. He turned back as the man began his tale, leaning back in his chair and wishing more than once, that he'd not been so far from some of his few friends when they needed him.

Sometimes the cape and cowl just didn't manage to fix everything.

_I Jump City, Late Morning, Joe's _Oasis Bar_ I_

"So let me get this strait, little Miss Muffet, or Strawberry-whatever-her-name is," the rather hawk-nosed man began, standing and leaning over the table he and his associates were currently anxiously sitting along, his tone becoming level and calculating as he did so. "Your dear father, our esteemed Don and the longest unopposed top man this coast has every seen, is retiring and leaving you the business." His head tilted slightly, the light picking out a pair of rather wickedly curved scars running along his cheek to a severely arched eyebrow.

Jinx sat, surveying the state of her manicure a moment as the agitated man's eyes narrowed at her hesitation. _This day is totally blowing that cute happiness high I woke up with this morning_, she thought with a mental sigh. He simply gawked when all she responded with was a simple "Yes."

Uncharacteristically, Brant was absent, Jinx having told him in no uncertain terms that he was to wait outside. The room only contained her, some chairs, the four local Jump mob bosses, and a table, being one of the back rooms in Joe's club. Jinx, feeling like this was a good place, central to Jump and with many reassurances by Joe himself, decided his club would do for her meeting place of choice, not wanting quite yet to slip into the habit of using her fathers restaurant for such.

The room was simple, just the blank walls, some folding chairs and the table, itself a portable, folding model, the one outward window blacked and boarded to avoid any prying eyes. The witch had reassured Brant she'd be just fine, this deep in her own territory as it stood, the situation being nothing she couldn't handle blindfolded, one handed and upside down, she'd joked at him. He'd blustered and reddened and gotten angry, and she could imagine him leaning against the door, resembling an enormous, purple-haired tomato in his suit with an ear pressed to the door, giggling slightly at the image.

The man, possibly named Benny, or Vinny, or Ginny for all she was bothering to remember, was fairly fuming as he slammed his hands on the table. "What the _fuck_ is so funny, you damned little bitch?!" Jinx narrowed her eyes and looked up, giving him her full attention as his rant continued. "You call us up, bring us out of our daily business to joke with us, some _kid_, then expect us to just smile and go along with it?" He turned to his assembled companions and his expression, voice went deadly still. "I don't know about my associates, but that's high insult, you little bitch."

"Say that word in my direction again," Jinx stood, her words punctuated with slight tapping as her heels hit the ground from where she lounged. "And I'll start getting offended. I don't think you want your _Boss_," She nearly hissed the word between clenched teeth," offended at you, whatever-your-name-is."

To his credit, Benny, or Vinny, _I really should figure that one out_, was fast. He'd actually pulled the gun on her before she reacted. But he wasn't a smart man, and figured her age and gender would have her cowering under it's glare.

Jinx smirked, and quirked her lip at him instead. "You made arrangements for a replacement, before you came here I hope?" The man jerked his hand, finger pulling harshly at the trigger as he snarled at the girl before him.

Sand poured out of the barrel, a small trickle of it as he slammed the trigger back again and again, his expression one of annoyance and anger. Still glaring he looked back up and gasped with his collected associates, the other three having agreed to let him front the meeting as they assembled that day. They were quickly regarding that idea as being perhaps a bit too hasty.

Jinx was well and truly pissed the hell off. _I tried explaining, quietly and with as much frankness as I could to these... morons, the situation_. She'd even gone so far as to express an interest in reevaluating the system the current syndicate was in, to make things sweeter for them all if they'd help her with a particular idea she had, but her only response was this. This hatchet-faced nobody was pulling a gun on her in her own house._ Well, it is Joe's club, but I own that, so for all practical purposes, __**my house**__. He's lucky I didn't blow the damn thing up in his face, not that it'd make much of a dent in that landscape of ugly._

The young witch was hovering, slightly above the table as the other man backed up and fell into his chair. Her eyes were brilliant and sparking with pink energy, and her hair, too short since her episode with the dye to put in it's horns, had flown out and framed her face. Snarling, her prominent and sharp canines in full display, she glared down at the cowering man as the table under her buckled and broke, it's supports giving out from an arc of her pent up rage hexing the thing too weak to support it's own weight.

"Let me make this very clear, because you'll only be here long enough to hear it once," her voice a breathy snarl, Jinx swept her hand across in front of her, and the air in the room slammed around, breaking the window and blasting the boards normally keeping it blacked out into the alleyway beyond. "You don't fuck with the Wranglers. You don't question where we put you, what we ask of you, _or tell you to do._" Advancing, the table was thrown out of the way, clamoring into the alleyway with the rest of the window, the noise, her constantly rising voice, loud enough to start a banging on the door.

Jinx, uncaring continued to glare down at her quarry, fully taken by her rage. "You aren't high enough on the food chain to ask. Because we own you. We own this town, we own the fucking air you breathe, the food you eat, we own the hookers you fuck and the police who look the other way." Arcs of pink force, beginning to look more violet in the flickering fluorescent overhead snapped out and contacted the men, spilling them out of their chairs and into the floor.

Brant was hammering on the door, but something wasn't letting it open, and he had no idea how that was possible. Narrowing his eyes he flexed inhuman muscles and tore the thing out into the hall rather than push against whatever was holding it against him, and stood, gaping at the scene before him. The other men nearby, all in Joe's employ and all utterly loyal to the girl now hovering in the eye of her own storm, stood with him, speechless at the sight that met their eyes.

Jinx was vaguely aware somewhere in the back of her mind that there was an audience now, but it didn't affect what she was doing. _No, they need to learn, that as long as I want it, where I am is where I stay, and they have no choice but to deal with that._

One of the errant arcs of force finally blasted the light fixture, casting the room into an eerie nightmare scene to the four men before the sorceress, as it was clear she was not only still enraged, but not getting any calmer about it. Bright violet branches of energy swept over her in a languid dance, much like what one saw in those cheap electric toys, but these were deadly serious, in contrast. Her eyes were horrible, blank and fully encased or lit or possessed of whatever it was that drove the girl, made her float there and so idly destroy things without a care.

"You exist in this town at my whim. Don't forget that. _Or your place!_" With that she snarled once more and bundling the four men together roughly with a vortex of air, swept them out of the window and into a nearby dumpster, the lid slamming down after them with a loud clang of metal on metal.

To his credit, Brant's mouth only silently worked at forming the words he was thinking for a few moments, "Ma'am! Calm yourself, please!" He advanced and was knocked back slightly by a gust of air, the glass in it halting and slamming to the floor when Jinx realized who it was that was saying her name.

She blinked and the arcing faltered, the usual color of her eyes coming back, the glow dimming as she recognized those with her trusted aide and outside, worrying about her. "Brant?" She blinked and looked at the state of the room with an expression of slight shock. _Oh god, I guess... now I can see why Raven stays so calm. Ooh, no time to flip out, have to keep cool, I'm Boss, have to be Boss, when I'm here. You can't be weak, where I am._

She painted on a smile, and only Brant saw the stress in it, the force needed to press it. She advanced and behind her the room righted itself, as she spent the last of her adrenaline fueled high in fixing as much as she could. "Sorry for the noise, would someone mind telling Joe to organize another room for tomorrow?" She glanced at the window meaningfully and laughed, a short harsh sound. Brant frowned. "Make sure it has a window, again."

One of Joe's men nodded and left to pass the message along, as she came to Brant's side. In a voice cast for his ears alone, she said, voice flat with weariness, "Get the car, I need to go home, please."

He nodded and turned, motioning the others to give them room as he spoke into the small microphone everpresent on his lapel. Jinx made a note to ask about that damn thing some day.

Shortly the bustle and noise of the club was behind them, unnoticed as she walked woodenly through the blaring music, the crashing colors and press of bodies. She regained some awareness of the world around her as the car speed her along to the apartment she currently called home.

As the car glided down the main drag of Jump city she watched the shadows cross, cover, fall away from her window as they passed buildings. It was barely noon, barely the beginning of a day, and already it felt like a week had passed since she woke. Rubbing idly at her temples she tried to soothe away a headache that threatened to split her skull and spill forth like some angry Cthonian god, intent on wreaking xenocide on the unsuspecting world.

_How the hell can I get so colorful in describing a headache?_ She winced, pondering this as her head throbbed at her in response. _Oh, I can't. There we go_.

Brant sat across from her, watching his young charge with guarded features. She suspected he had some questions for her, after her little... display in the bar. She'd told him about being a Meta, hell he had no room to speak considering, but apparently the whole force of nature display thing had set him on edge. _Or maybe he really didn't like pink that much after all, who the fuck knows_. She really wasn't in the mood to ask.

The sedan pulled up to the building and she was out of the door, stumbling with her hand over her eyes to ward off the flicker of fluorescent lights before it had even stopped moving. Waving off Brant's steadying hand she snapped the door of the elevator shut and rode it in quiet solitude to her floor, barely managing to get the door open before her frustration broke over the overly difficult lock like a tsunami. She didn't care that Brant was still standing by the garage elevator door, didn't care what he may or may not be thinking at this point. _I really, really need to talk to him about this whole "Jinx's shadow" thing he insists on. I really can't deal with that all the fucking time._

Jinx flung herself at the bed and promptly buried her head in pillows, willing the rest of the world away and trying desperately to sink into the inky blackness before her, smother herself into sleep, something. Anything but think about how badly this day, the entirety of her tentative attempts to assert her control on city had gone.

_Hah, and the one person who I want desperately to talk to, about anything, I can't even begin to talk about this with. _She imagined the conversation, her mocking laughter drowned out in the mattress her nose was currently buried against. "Oh hey Raven, I was wondering if you had a moment? I really need to talk, see, I'm having a bitch of a time getting all the local crime bosses to acknowledge me, and it's kinda ruining my day."

Yeah that'd go over wonderfully.

She kicked viciously at her mattress, flipping up and sitting with bleary eyes. Blinking, the young witch stumbled to the kitchen, digging around in her barely unpacked shelves for a bottle of painkillers, simple over the counter chalk pills practically, and with a glass of lukewarm water in hand, sat on the couch.

She stared numbly ahead of her, a bell tower somewhere nearby sounding out the time, just one o'clock. Looking at the table she spotted her cell phone, and without really thinking about it, had dialed a local cafe, already pulling on her walking shoes.

_I Jump City, Downtown, Noon I_

Mikron jumped at the phone on the table ringing, the small telecom network in the cafe having been wired and set by him and the shop owner so as to allow him a private line, and a branch line in case he was needed in shop while in his workshop. Currently, he was nose deep in a rather complex project when the phone rang, which it almost never did.

"Huh, who the heck could be calling me?" He disentangled himself from the metal contraption and after a number of rings that would dissuade most people answered the phone with narrowed eyes. "Yeah, whaddya want?"

A slightly amused, lilting female voice answered, "Oh you know, maybe a civil hello to start?"

Mikron, Gizmo still to some friends, nearly dropped the receiver as he stuttered at the girl on the other side, "Oh my god, where have you been? Everyone's worried out of their stinkin' minds about you!" He flailed around, forgetting he was on the phone a moment, but Jinx knew him too well, and laughed anyway, her mental image not too far off reality.

She sighed, but happily. "Hey, it's a long story. Feel like some lunch? My treat."

He looked at a clock and decided to call top-side and ask for the rest of the day off. "Sure, let me just tell the desk jockey upstairs I'm bailing." He grinned when she laughed at his ever-abusive phrasings. "Where we goin'?"

The other line went silent a moment, he could imagine her shrugging, "We'll figure something out, I'll meet you out front in a bit. Oh, and don't bother calling a taxi." He was about to ask about that when the line went dead, and instead he merely blinked at the receiver a moment, before calling to clear up the rest of his day.

Fifteen minutes later he was lounging against the wall outside, sipping a soda through a straw when he caught sight of someone roof-topping their way toward him. He squinted and made out the slim, waifish figure he was familiar with, but minus the customary hair style. He was still unsure until she practically landed on him, hopping off the three story building in front of him and landing in a crouch, panting slightly in front of him. The impish grin, pink hair and eyes, pale complexion, and typical black ensemble was enough for him, and smiling he greeted his friend.

"Kinda big on the flashy entrance much?" Offering his soda but keeping the straw, he regardless laughed a bit at her showmanship. She grinned and took a long sip, still a bit winded from the high speed, and altitude, sprinting.

"Thanks, really hit the spot." She leaned on the wall by him, picking at his sleeve and handing the bottle back to her diminutive friend. After a moment of catching her breath, she grinned and stood back, tilting her head this way and that while staring at Gizmo. He laughed, spinning in place, playing along.

"Like the threads? Thrift store chic, I call this," Striking a pose, he was rewarded by her enthusiastic clapping.

Laughing, Jinx tugged on his sleeve and the two walked, idly chatting as they did. "But, no seriously, you look good in civvies," she reasoned. "That spandex thing really never works for anyone, trust me. Even the hero's have it wrong."

The smaller boy chuckled, nodding. "You never did buy into that whole costume thing much. Should have taken the hint." Chattering away about trivialities, they passed a small corner soup, bread and coffee bar, and by mutual agreement of noses, followed them inside.

They paused, however once inside, the clientèle looking just a bit too blatantly normal for the pair, the two of them sticking out like flamingos in a flock of geese. Shrugging, Jinx sauntered up to the counter and in her most energetic and overly perky voice ordered a half soup and salad, with a tea. Gizmo took a moment to decide, having never been to this particular shop, and by the time they were done ordering, a small line had formed behind them. Thankfully this crowd seemed less of the nervously normal type, so they settled into one of the tables outside, preferring the open air to the stuffy stares inside.

After a few minutes of starting their meals, Gizmo, mouth still half full of his sandwich, voiced his earlier question again, "So, where have you been? It's been what, like almost two months?"

Jinx nodded around her tea and scanned the nearby tables surreptitiously. Satisfied she could speak without any fallout, she nodded and began her tale, the younger ex-Hive member's jaw dropping a few times, or laughing as the story unfolded. The only things Jinx left out, hesitantly at that, were the details about Raven, and how she felt about her.

Gizmo listened, attentive to everything his longtime friend said, and didn't. After running into Raven in the alley near Jinx's old apartment, he'd been curious what precisely was up, and the blatant omittance of any reference to the mysterious Titan confirmed what he'd suspected. He considered just a moment, as Jinx finished an edited version of why she came back to Jump, before he pounced. "So, you dropped out of the sky like a bolt? Crazy damn League gadgets. Why not use a end-pattern recognition platform?" He shook his head, grinning, "And what about Raven, how does she fit into all this hmm?"

He was rewarded with a near-miss from the fountain of tea that was her response. Once she'd finished sputtering and apologizing, her posture visibly wilting she sighed. "Eh. How'd you know about that?"

Gizmo pointed his fork at her and motioned it in a circle, rolling his eyes as well. "Hey, I'm short not stupid. Besides, ran into her in an alley the day after I started at the shop and all." He grinned as she chuckled, shaking her head. "What, you think I grew telepathy to complement this shiny dome? Watching too much of that Rerun Network ain'tcha?" Grinning he sipped his new soda, thinking back on that day.

Jinx sat quietly, playing with her bread. She tore it into small bits, then squished them into hard little balls, before munching on them. "So what happened in the alley?" She stopped fidgeting with her food and looked out at the street. Gizmo was amused at how much she was trying to not seem preoccupied with that conversation with Raven, but wasn't really feeling like teasing her about it, this soon after running back into her.

"Not much, honestly." He watched her closely, waiting to see her reactions. "She was pretty upset though, and not handling news that you'd left very well." He noted her small flinch at that, and pressed the point, curious. "She'd apparently gotten the news from the moving crew, and was actually kinda crying to herself there." She looked down, seemingly lost in thought, gazing far off. Nodding to himself he smiled, reaching out to nudge her in the shoulder.

"Hey, she's still around. Have you talked to her yet?" When Jinx blushed he grinned, "Thought so."

She sat, staring at her hands, emotions disoriented after hearing about Raven's apparent distress at her absence. _Raven came to find me... if I'd just waited a few days,_ she shook the thought off. _I'd never have left the Hive. Things would only have gotten worse_. She was happy, relieved to have another confirm that in some way, Raven wanted her around, sought her out. Another part of her recoiled, the feeling of her stomach turning to lead spreading as she imagined how upset, and for how long it was since that day till she suddenly showed up at Raven's door again._It's a wonder she spared me a glance, really. _

They finished the rest of lunch in an uneasy silence, Jinx preoccupied with thoughts of Raven, Gizmo idly piecing together small things that weren't adding up with Jinx. When she suddenly stood, turning and dipping the umbrella that adorned their table, fiddling with it as if it had malfunctioned, he took note. Scanning the area carefully, he spotted two men he recognized as somewhat well known enforcer types for one of the local syndicate heads, Benny something or another, if he remembered right.

As the two passed the corner, and she spent an appropriate amount of time fussing with their table decoration, she set it aright rather suddenly and sat, looking somewhat more annoyed than the simple table prop should have warranted. Raising a brow at her, the diminutive tech waited for an explanation.

_Well, this is why I needed someone to talk to, isn't it?_ Jinx grinned wryly. "So, aside from the other stuff you know or figured out, there is one other problem...

"See, my actual name is Jennifer Wrangler, and my fath-" She stalled, ducking as Gizmo responded with his own beverage fountain, coughing and flailing about as he tried to keep some semblance of composure.

"You never said anything!" he hissed, leaning forward, suddenly feeling very insecure about where they were.

She shrugged and shook her head, answering, "Well, what could I have said? I thought he'd either have disowned me for being a Meta-human or just not have chosen me as an heir, really. But that's his decision." She flinched as Gizmo's eyes doubled in size at her overstatement of the situation. "Er. Yeah. About that..."

Gizmo had never been all that social, never really growing into the mores of a normal boy his age, and as such, his mannerisms tended to the either ridiculously obscure or outlandishly overstated. He chose the latter, as he flailed about, trying to silence his friend. "No no! Not out here!" Spying a fire escape down the alley beside the cafe, he gestured down it and got up, trotting off like he'd finished his meal. Admittedly, it was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

Sitting with her chair leaned back on it's back feet, Jinx glances skyward and if praying were her thing, would have been doing so rather hard. _This day, just keeps getting better._ Standing and following her friend, they wandered around the alley to the simple stairway escape and made their way silently to the roof. _It's odd, how despite it all, all the changes, we both still think the same. If something's important, we hide. We run._ Outwardly she sighed, feeling slightly defeated at the realization.

Along the rooftop, they sat against the small crenelated border, backs to the city and idly playing with the pebbles and debris on the roof itself. Finally Gizmo broke the uneasy silence, pulling Jinx from her internalization, "So, I heard your dad's pretty much retiring isn't he?" When all she did was nod, he made a small acknowledging noise. "What does that leave you?"

She looked up, picking shapes out of the clouds for a moment, "Pretty much, I'm Boss, but..." She shook her head and flung a pebble at the small roof access door in front of them, some paces away. "It's kinda wearing on me, and I've only been this a day. Already had a bad run in with some of his organization, had a bad meeting with the Titans-" She held up a warning hand when he sputtered at that. "Later, just let me finish."

Gizmo nodded and sat, watching her. How she seemed so much older seeming now, with all this on her. He realized that a lot of it was just her smile, how it never really seemed genuine now. Like there was always just there for show, or out of habit. "It's insane, really. I have no idea how he thinks I'll be able to do this," Shaking her head she finally just broke down, sobbing quietly as Gizmo looked on, awkward and helpless.

Without really being sure if he was doing the right thing, he stood and wrapped an arm around the girl's slightly hitching shoulders, only to be nearly knocked down when she turned and clutched at his shirt, her face buried on his diminutive shoulder. "I just.. don't know what to do." Sniffling she shook her head, and for the second time Gizmo was handing his handkerchief to someone he never expected to.

"Just talk about it. Tell me what's up, maybe I can think of something, you know?"

Nodding her thanks she sorted out herself, drying her eyes and sniffling less as she thought about the whole mess. _There's... actually a lot to this. Maybe I should start at the beginning_.

"First, well. There's me, I guess." She stood a bit unsteadily and closed her eyes, floating slightly as the wind picked up and carried her a few paces away. Small pebbles rose up and began orbiting her idly as Gizmo watched, blinking. "Apparently, the whole hex thing was just the tip of the iceberg, though I've gotten a bit better at that as well." She smiled hesitantly when he nodded appraisingly.

"That's pretty cool, but one thing... " He furrowed his brow as she sat back down beside him. "That magic stuff, that's not a Meta thing. Never was, no one else, ever, in the Hive records had that listed as a Meta ability."

Jinx blinked at him and nodded, "Yeah, you're right. So that's all just... me. I know most of my Meta-gene was involved with my feline traits, the hearing, balance, eyes and all. Something else then." She was a Meta-human, she knew, but if her magic was something else, what was the source? "When I was on the satellite, Zatanna, the woman I was learning with taught me about the different ways people deal with magic. I never gave the theory part much time, but maybe it's important." Playing idly with the stones on the roof she made small stacks, geometric shapes and designs with them, trailing them after her fingertip.

Gizmo nodded, watching and thinking as she explained. "So how does it work? Mumbo always had his gibberish spells, but it was all from his wand, or some other artifact really. Since you don't really use spells, or none like the usual gesture and mutter type, and don't use items, what does that leave from what she taught you?" Jinx thought back and tried to remember the lesson, nearly three months previous.

"I think she called it innate sorcery, or something." Cupping her hand she concentrated, and vapor from the air coalesced to a small orb, a rather pretty drop of water before she burst it with a thought, the steam making her blink as a small fierce flame licked in the space it once was. "I'm not sure. Even those types had a specialization. I can't quite figure out what mine is." She shook the flame away and shrugged back at her thoughtful companion. "Any ideas?"

"Hm, maybe." Gizmo picked up a small stone himself, and stared at it a moment. "What if... hm. What if she got it backwards?" He blinked and grinned suddenly. "Try something for me?" When she nodded he handed her the stone, pulling out a small instant camera, popping the cartridge out of it while she blinked at him, confused. "Simple really, just hold that in your hand and hex the snot out of it, and I mean hard."

Shrugging she nodded, standing to better concentrate. Gizmo was wearing his usual manic 'I'm being a geek' grin while she cupped the impending victim of her bad day with a small smirk, Gizmo holding the cartridge a few inches away. "Sorry pebble, but what the kid wants, he gets," And without further preamble, blasted the small rock into nothingness in her hand, a flare of pink and violet the only evidence it was ever there. "Um. Wow, ok. Never made something simply go poof before... That's kinda new."

Gizmo was pouring over the film, waving around two pieces of it as she watched, confused. "Um, you know you have to use a camera to take a picture correctly, right?" When he grinned at her she just shook her head. They waited a moment while he stared at the film, grinning bigger every minute.

Laughing he handed her the pictures, which she was surprised to see had something on them. "She was wrong, actually. It's not magic, well I don't think so, not really." He pointed at the burst pattern, what looked like a small sunburst in the middle of both pictures. "Film will 'expose' and mark like this when irradiated," When Jinx's eyes widened, he nodded. "Yep, you blew that rock up good, but I think I know how."

She sat hard and rubbed at her temples. "Then... why was all that magic training working right? Why did I get better at this, when it wasn't magic?"

The genius shrugged, tossing another stone around as he did so. "Beats me. May just be a way your mind rationalizes what you do. I think you have some control over entropy." When she looked at him with a brow up he grinned, "Entropy is the tendency for systems to lose energy, to come apart. When you hex something, you force it into a state like a quantum probability arc approaching what you perceive, or can by an undefined mechanism, conjecture to be 'bad luck', simply by changing the point-probability of state on a basic level of that item..." He trailed off as she stared at him like he'd been explaining... well quantum theory. "Er. Well basically you have some control over the inherent chaos of a system, and can introduce and adjust the way that random principal works on them."

Jinx blinked and rubbed her temple, the words Gizmo kept saying making less sense as she listened. "Ok ok ok, but why can I make fire and fly?" When he laughed, she groaned, banging the back of her head on a wall.

"You can fly, because you decrease the randomness in the air, causing pressure to lift you up and keep you there. You then increase the loss of rest-state energy to make something flare up and catch fire." He smirked as she mulled this over. "What bugs me though," He started, walking over and tapping her on the temple, "Is how you can do all this, when you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about."

Snarling she swatted at him and shook her head hard, dislodging all the unfamiliar terms and grasping on some she could recognize and work with. "Ok, you said chaos and randomness, right?" At his nod she continued, "Right, so what Zatanna explained to me, there are basic forces, like primordial elemental thingies, that exist and mingle and mash up to make up the four basic alchemical elements."

When Gizmo rolled his eyes at her grimoire explanation she stomped and huffed at him. "Just listen, I'm working on it ok!?" He giggled and held up his hands in surrender. "Good boy. Ok, so, say that what you said is true; I monkey with chaos. What you explained would be the physical, scientific explanation of the results, right?" When he nodded, she seized on the thought she'd focused on. "But not the cause. Say the cause was that I had control over probability, say a knack for simply nudging it around."

The small genius mulled this over and nodded. "Getting more into string theory there, but yeah, say that's how it works. You're a walking probability engine, with a bend for chaos induction." When she flailed at his use of multisyllabic words he sighed. "I just said it in geek, ok? Same thing. Calm down."

Glowering she huffed at him, "Just because I'm street smart not book smart, don't make fun! But I have to admit, this makes more sense. That whole bad luck equaling magic, leading to sorcery thing was feeling... well strained. This kinda sits more comfortably, you know?" When he nodded she sat, clapping the soles of her heels together, "Yay, progress!"

"You mean, 'Yay, entropy increasing in the local system!' right?"

A rain of small pebbles pelted the genius as he ran for cover, "Shut up, you."

Giggling the two sat back down and watched clouds move slowly across the sky again. "So what next?" He sighed, lounging against the wall as she looked at her feet, a light blush rising to her cheeks.

"Um. Well, I think next, is Raven."

_I Titan Tower, Early Afternoon I_

The Tower was just settling back down, a small alarm that morning taken care of in routine fashion. Apparently there was a disturbance on the east side, but by the time they got there, nothing was going on. Then a call came in alerting them to a nuisance sighting of Control Freak, running around with a small army of robotic toys proclaiming himself the "Emperor of all the Intranets" or something else idiotic.

For some reason, he kept referring to himself as the "Heir of Gore", but that didn't make much sense when he'd not managed to hurt anyone, so they just trounced him and stuffed him into the Police wagon, before heading home.

Raven was just putting a plate away, having had a rather tasty hamburger when she sneezed, nearly dropping it. Blinking, she turned as the other Titans, still finishing their take out, grinned or giggled at her.

"Someone must be talking about you, eh Raven?" Beast boy barely ducked as a black-shrouded pillow swept past where his head had just recently been. She smiled slightly and excused herself, heading back to her room to read, she explained.

Leaning against her door, she grinned, finally giving in to the urge. She kept a tight control on her power, making sure nothing blew up or flew around out of place randomly, as she tidied up her space and remembered the night before. Laying down with a little yawn, she played over the short, but rather intense conversation she shared with a certain hex-tossing hellion, a content feeling growing, washing over her as she did so.

_She really did come back, and because of me..._ Raven was still absorbing that small fact, doing so like one would enjoy a very expensive, very rare dessert. Each time she thought about it, she repressed a giggle, her color rising again.

Sobering she inspected the day's progress of the Skatheen tattoo spreading across her arms, now apparent with growing speed on her legs as well, the black marking dormant since her shower. It had crept nearly a hand's span, and she knew that on the day of her birthday, the marks would meet over her heart, and the spell would be complete. _Came back because of this, and him_. Despite the morbid topic, she smiled.

"I didn't want to... be alone." She the sadness in her smile was only witnessed by her ceiling, as she lay a moment more, before drifting off into a small nap, the memory of that conversation playing over in her mind, giving her some respite from the impending day coming far too soon.

_I Titan Tower, The Previous Night I_

Raven hesitated just a moment, then with damp eyes, said what she could think of. "I missed you."

Jinx smiled, her closed eyes betraying nothing till a single tear slipped down, curving along her cheek. "I missed you too."

The dark Titan clutched at the cell phone, a rather unused, simple thing, as she hung on those three words. "I'm so sorry I left li-" She blinked, a tinkling laugh sounding from the other side of the line.

"Hush silly... listen. Just listen a minute ok?" When the line was silent, she smiled, "I heard all about what's going on, with you and that bastard father of yours. I have a lot to tell you about, about where I went, why, where I was, what I'm doing." She paused, and Raven didn't miss how she seemed to get a bit terse, near the end, but kept silent. "All the things that are important. But for right now, I need you to know something. I really wanted to see you again, to see... if you-" She sighed, willing her heart to stop hammering at her chest but Raven stole the words as she was about to speak them.

"-Felt anything, that day, those days between us?" Raven, her eyes shut tight stuttered the words out, hoping for all the world that nothing imploded with how her heart was beating, how warm her face felt. "I know, I really do. I came... to find you, after. But... " She trailed off and bit her lip, trying not to get upset, not to let her frustration at that day, this last month sharpen her words. _She's here, now. That's important. Not this last month, and I know she'll tell me about it. There has to be a reason_.

Jinx looked up at the stars, imagining the sound of the bay along the stones by the Tower shore, placing herself by Raven's side. "Yeah, I really wanted to know. I know... how odd it is y'know?" She laughed a bit, and heard Raven make a small uncertain noise at the sound. "It's ok, shh. I mean, how you're a Titan, I'm a thief, then there's the whole girl issue, on top of that, where did this come from, all those things."

"Yeah, I know. But, I'd like to... if you don't mind..." She kicked herself, her mind not forming the words she kept trying to say. _Just ask her! Pick a day, and ask!_ Raven opened her mouth when the voice on the other side silenced her, a rueful grin slipping along her lips after.

"What are you doing Saturday? I promise, though, if your busy I'll find a way to pencil myself in." She could hear the smile on Jinx's lips, and remembered with a flash that morning so long ago, how the light sat on her cheeks...

"Raven? Still there?" The Titan blinked, shaking the image and her blush away.

She laughed a little, and Jinx memorized the sound, closing her eyes tight so she didn't have anything, anything at all intrude on that moment. _God how I love that sound._ "I'm here, just lost in thought a moment, trying to figure out if I have free time that day." Jinx knew, without seeing the smirk on the other girl's face. "Being the socialite that I am, and all."

"Well, you know, if you're busy, I can always arrange to be robbing a bank or something, we always did have way too fun during those," She let a sarcastic tone creep into her voice, hoping the Raven wouldn't take it the wrong way.

To her relief, she laughed again, making the lounging thief smile broader, "Oh yeah, last time was a real blast, but hey... the end result wasn't so bad, was it?"

Jinx smiled and hummed, laughing a little after. "No, not at all really. So Saturday, meet me by the dockside out by the bay at say... six?"

Raven couldn't stifle her grin and she knew it was telling in her voice, "Sounds great, and should I say I'm just going out for some tea, or should I call it a Date?" She bit her lip at her forwardness, but smiled around it at the other girl's laugh, relaxed and happy.

"Oh definitely a Date, especially if I get to walk you home after," She giggled and sighed, "See you at six then, Raven?"

"Wouldn't miss it, and Jinx?" Raven toyed with the edge of her cloak as she sat, staring off into the distance, a contentment washing over her she didn't expect to really feel ever again.

Softening her voice, Jinx replied "Yeah? What is it Raven?"

Closing her eyes, she breathed the two words that she felt, more than anything at that moment defined her, how she felt. "Thank you." Clicking the call button again, she leaned back and let the stars shine down, uncaring at the stinging her pent up emotions set along the growing tattoo.

_I don't care. I just want this moment. This small time, a happy one, without being pushed back, killed by my need to keep myself bottled up. I want to be happy, really happy at least once._ Her thoughts, though laced with her newfound determination were gentle. Happy thoughts.

She wasn't surprised at all to find herself floating a bit over the Tower roof.

Nor was she surprised when she woke, the small nap taking her into the late afternoon, to find herself again floating just a few inches over her bed, a smile still on her pale lips.

"Thank you."

* * *

A/N: Ooh, this one gave me issues. My muse ran around being a pest rather than let me work this week, so this one is a bit later out than I liked. Hopefully I've caught those threads of idea and can keep kiting them about easily again, though. 

Sorry for Mikron's physics ramble, hope any other geeks out there enjoyed it as much as I did sneaking it in there.

No, there is absolutely no reason for the Act title, it's similarity to the Lantern Corp's oath, or the first 'verse' in Gotham, really. Seriously. Won't matter a bit later.


	12. Chapter 12

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.  
**

* * *

It's been said, that information, the trade and traffic of it, is the most profitable business there is.

I wonder, who paid and how much, to get that bit of wisdom.

* * *

_**Act Three: In Darkest Night**_

**Chapter Twelve**

_I Jump City, Downtown, Early afternoon I_

Jinx laced her fingers together, resting her head back on them against the wall. She regarded the sky patiently, willing some of it's patience into herself.

"Well are you going to spill it or not!" Lips under sparkling pink eyes quirked, her erstwhile partner in crime was watching her expectantly, his bald head catching the light of the day with a comic gleam.

She giggled and broke the moment, nodding at his query, "Yes, yes, but don't blame me if it makes a mess." Jinx regarded the sky again, the open vault above her. It rounded, fading off in the distance, the clouds racing overhead in a gentle, sweeping arc. _This egg_, she mused, _this city, it's ready. For the shell that protects it from the world outside to crack. Soon it will have no choice will it?_ She thought to Trigon, Raven, her own place in this play.

"Well. Since you want to know, so badly, I think I'm falling for her." Her half closed eyes glinted when the sound of Gizmo falling on his face reached her, gawking there in the sun somewhat incredulous.

He sputtered and watched her for any sign she may have been joking. "B-but... uh." He blinked in the sun and tilted his head. "You've thought about all this? The syndicate thing, her as a hero, the gender issue... wow there's a lot," Gizmo sighed and ran a hand over his head as she nodded. "No wonder you called. But yeah, glad you did."

"Me too," Jinx smiled gently, sighing into the cool Bay afternoon, her breath stolen by a small breeze and carried away. "I really needed someone to talk to." She reached down and her hand toyed with the cell phone in her pocket. "I don't know if things will really work... you know?" She let her anxiety, fear out of the small, chained up box she kept it in, when she thought of Raven. It crept up her spine and set her to shivering, despite the sun.

The younger tech, not a foolish person, nodded. "Well, if her state when you left was any hint, she feels something for you," He noted, watching her closely. "But I worry about the future, yeah? You a crime boss and all, not really high on the hero compatibility scales."

"Future..." she grinned, and it chilled something in Gizmo to see it. How her eyes seemed blank, distant when she said it. "Yeah. Still need to work that part out."

He tilted his head and regarded her, "What?"

Shaking her head she set her mind, and stood. _Talking... isn't helping. Not right now. Too much to do._ "Nah, nothing really. Just thinking out loud." Jinx watched the sun making it's slow way to the horizon, many hours off yet. _Should have time, I think_. "I have to go do something, follow up on a hunch I heard about, before tomorrow and more damn meetings."

Gizmo blinked at her sudden change in demeanor, used to it occasionally from their time in the Hive, but still not comfortable with how suddenly she could grasp and run with a notion. It just seemed counter to his nature. "What's up?"

She grinned down at him again and it was a chilling kind of smile, one that Gizmo would remember later, hearing the total of this story, unfolded. He'd think back and remember that she knew, all of it, somehow, and how it would play out. All of what she would do, and went into it smiling.

"I need an apple."

_I Titan Tower, Friday afternoon I_

Raven sat on the Tower, her fingers idly tracing at the smooth metal along it's rooftop. She watched the domed vault of the sky above, thinking in rapid form of the day, the past hours, what it all meant.

She was interrupted by her stomach grumbling loudly.

The Titan grinned and scampered to her feet, stretching in the afternoon light, muscles still tight and somewhat sore from the practices that morning. Oh they'd gone well enough, but it was still less than comfortable to be the object of Beast Boy's primal fury when he was in the mentality to shed his immaturity and focus.

In truth, he was quite capable, and talented with his variable form. It was his mental state that limited him. She smiled, shaking off the musing as she passed the hallway, hearing Robin tapping at the Tower computer as she silently passed. If he were somewhat else, he'd not be our Garfield.

Breakfast smells still lingered, and she found Terra also making her way to the kitchens, upon seeing Raven, feigning starvation and stumbling, swooning to the table, eliciting a giggle from her dark counterpart. "Hey Terra, up for lunch as well?"

Nodding her blonde head, she grinned, jerking a thumb toward the windows and town. "Yeah, hadn't decided if I wanna head to Jump or make something in, though." The two settled before the refrigerator, and sparing a nervous glance at one another, opened it hesitantly.

Terra sprang back as some blue, furry... _thing _lunged at her and scratched, scrabbling at the door as Raven tried to push it closed again, leaning hard on the machine and rocking it with the efforts of the thing inside trying to escape. "What the hell-"

It was then the bubbly Tamaranian sped into the room, surveying the situation and gasping. "Oh no! My Glaarnth must have ripened while I was partaking of the watching of the soaps!" The other Titans, boggled as the orange alien dived into the refrigerator, the machine bucking and bouncing for a moment then going deathly still as they looked on from behind the table.

"Um," Terra began then made a nervous squeak and hid behind Raven as the machine bucked again suddenly.

Raven blinked and extended her empathy, searching for her fellow Titan. She shuddered as the mental impression relayed was a very satisfied burp from the now satiated alien. Flatly, and with a slight shade of green about her face, she turned to Terra, "Take out."

"Take out?" The blonde queried, sparing a glance at the refrigerator.

"Take out." Raven nodded and pulled the jumpy girl along behind her, heading for the roof once again.

Raven flew over the city quietly, Terra humming to herself, earphones firmly in place as she sat in a bubble of black force toted behind the flying Titan. She grinned slightly, hearing the occasional verse from Terra's music player as they made the small trip to a nearby restaurant.

Arriving behind the building, they arranged themselves into a civilian role, and ducked inside, just missing the tail end of the lunch rush. They walked up to the counter and after ordering their fare, sat and ate in companionable silence some time, smalltalk not really on either Titan's mind at the moment.

Surreptitiously watching the blonde girl before her, Raven summoned some of her courage and asked a question she'd worried on. "Hey, Terra... you've dated before, right?" At the girl's raised eyebrow she blushed a bit and stuttered, "Well, you see, I'm usually doing something else, so I don't really get to see what everyone does so much, I miss a lot, really..." She played with her spoon idly, rubbing her thumb over the cool metal and hoping the blush on her cheeks would fade.

The blonde Titan nodded slowly, sipping at her soda thoughtfully. "Yeah, but I don't advertise it, so I guess it'd be easy to miss, y'know?" She prodded her food, a rather laden chili dog that was spilling along her plate in a rather messy but tasty fashion. "Plus well, you know Robin, always with his beak in other people's business." She grinned, whistling a bird call and mimicking wings beside her face with her fingers, crossing her eyes comically.

Raven giggled and nodded, sipping her water and nibbling at her soup, taking small sips from a spoon. "Yeah, I forgot about his tendency to pry." Grinning ruefully, she looked down, willing her cheeks to stay cool as she considered her next question.

This wasn't missed by the now curious Teen, and she sat her soda down, regarding Raven with her head tilted. "Someone you have your eye on?" When Raven's eyes widened and she started, Terra grinned, soothing the nervous girl, "Hey, easy. Just curious y'know? Who is it?" She grinned and sipped noisily at her soda.

To her credit, Raven wasn't imploding anything – yet. Calming herself somewhat she diverted conversation slightly, "Well, there's this thing. We're kinda from opposite sides of the tracks, if you catch my drift. Well. Not all the way-"

"It's Justin Timberlake?" Terra quipped.

Raven choked on her water and laughed, shaking her head, "No! No, god no. Uh." She grinned and shook her head again. "Well, it's kinda complicated."

Rolling her eyes, Terra flagged a waitress down and ordered another soda, then took a rather impossible and messy bite of her chili dog. Once she'd managed to get most of it down, she stabbed a finger at Raven and muttered around her food, "Well, you want to talk about it, but we can't if you keep using such weird wording, and dodging so get to it huh? Talk, goth girl, c'mon." She grinned, motioning for Raven to pick up the conversation as she dug back into her rather messy meal.

Grumbling at getting labeled goth, but knowing Terra did it to egg her on, Raven sighed and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, guess it's silly to talk about something and be so vague. Uh, alright." Taking a deep breath she dumped all she could into a sentence and hoped it made sense after."So I like this girl who's a thief and... we're going out tomorrow night." Biting her lip she blinked at Terra, waiting for a response.

The blonde just grinned and made an "ooh" sound, watching Raven's confusion evident at her lack of reaction. "So you and Jinx huh?" When the other Titan nearly face planted into the table she chuckled. "Oh come on, you weren't really subtle you know!"

Raven felt like her face was going to burn off in embarrassment, and nearly let her power work unchecked, before calming herself, closing her eyes and breathing deeply a few moments. To an observer she may have seemed angry, but Terra knew better, and just grinned, waiting for her teammate to calm down. After a few more moments Raven cracked open an eye and sighed, "Really, I wasn't? Didn't think I was that obvious..."

Grinning Terra held up a hand and counted off points on her fingers. "One, you totally flipped on Robin after he blew her out a wall. Two, when Jinx bailed on the Hive, she kinda spilled the beans a little, but really, sleeping with her tha-" She blinked as a black force covered her face a moment, the girl across from her a bright scarlet in embarrassment.

"She was freezing and I was out of power! It was to keep warm! And we didn't have sex, damnit!" Blinking at the sudden silence in the restaurant, and Terra's silenced laughter, she sunk into her chair and hid under a menu. "Oh god."

Trying unsuccessfully to control her mirth, the blonde Titan grinned at her abashed companion. "Sorry, shouldn't have been so silly, didn't know you'd flip," She grinned despite the apology and continued, "Well, then there's the picture, and how you got all sad, the visit and how you blew up at Cy that day you found out..." She tilted her head considering. "Think that's about it."

The dark Titan was a bit mortified at how obvious she'd been. Despite it, the nonchalant way that Terra talked about things was comforting, _Well, at least she's not freaked out about the whole girl issues_, she surmised. "Hm, what about the others? Do they really get it?" She was curious, but hesitant to ask, fearing how being so exposed, emotionally would impact her, and her behavior to them.

"I don't really think so, maybe Cy, but he's just like that. Robin's oblivious – I don't think he really understands beyond his moral issues, honestly," Raven tucked that bit of information away for later, feeling it could become a problem. Terra continued, her drink finally arriving, "Beast Boy... eh no. He'd never think about it that way, and Star's too out there."

"You'd be surprised about Star, actually. She's pretty observant, we talked last night." She grinned as Terra blinked at her, confused.

The perky Titan nodded, looking thoughtful and finished her food with a minimal of display. "Huh. Maybe I should talk to her more, I've kinda not, as I figured... well the whole alien thing, all weird and hard to connect with, you know?"

"You're having lunch with a possibly gay or at least bisexually minded half demon, you realize."

"Point."

Raven laughed quietly and stretched, feeling the weight of things lifting off her somewhat, confiding in the sometimes distant girl before her. Her brows knit, remembering that. "Hey, Terra... why do you keep yourself apart, from the other Titans? You always seem either preoccupied or disinterested in things, at the Tower."

The usually perky girl seemed uncomfortable, shifting in her bench and regarding her plate silently for some time. Raven worried quietly if she'd asked a rather more sensitive question than originally planned, but her curiosity won out, "It's ok if you don't want to answer, but it just made me wonder, is all. Of all of us, you seem the most normal, so I..." she trailed off at the silent laughter Terra responded with.

"There you go, nail on the head." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, a sad cast to her features. "Until I woke up, and suddenly had this urge to play with rocks, I was just a girl in the Bay, y'know? One more blonde, pretty teen in an upscale school, listening to pop music and obsessing over the latest school sport's sensation or the flavor of the month guy, out there." She looked out the window and pointed vaguely at a small troop of girls, giggling, mall bags in hand and chattering to each other as they walked along the sidewalk.

"That was me. Just a normal girl." Raven was a bit shocked at the derision in her companion's voice, how bitter she seemed. "Honestly, if I were able, I'd give it up. But I can't, it's either control it or be controlled, y'know?" When her blue eyes met Raven's, she realized they really did have more in common, than just carrying around the same communicator and living under the Titan's banner. When Raven nodded slowly, she smiled. "So I'm not all the comfortable, really, being the hero. Sometimes I just don't... get it. How I'm supposed to be responsible, a better person, than anyone else. I'm just me. Tara Markov."

Raven slowly absorbed this, nodding distantly. _Why do we fight? Why do we take on the burdens we do? I have little obligation, really to this city, these people. But we fight._ It made her remember when the Titans formed, and with a shake of her head, she sent that memory back, for later. "I understand. I think everyone, maybe not Robin, feels the same at times."

Terra smiled and stood, motioning for Raven to join her as she walked. They passed along the sidewalk, the same one they'd seen the other girl's on recently and with a laugh, the blonde Teen shook her head. "It's odd. I wonder how much of what we do matters. Would it really affect Jump if we weren't the Titans?" She looked out at the Bay, but the rise of buildings was too much to let her pick out the Tower, from here. "Wouldn't other people just... come and take our place?" Shaking off the dark thoughts she turned, nervously holding her arms as she grinned. "Sorry, rambling. What do you think about that date though? Nervous?"

Nodding, Raven joined her in looking out at the skyline, "Very, I've never been on a date, so I'm not sure what to expect." When Terra just stood looking at her incredulous, the dark Titan blushed.

"Never? Never ever?"

Shaking her head, she was startled when the blonde snatched up her hand and started running toward the nearby shopping mall, "Terra, what are you doing?"

Laughing and looking behind her at her nervous victim, she grinned, "I'll tell you all about it, but you need clothes, and makeup, and really could use some more suiting perfume..."

Raven blinked, wondering if she could survive the terror that was Terra unleashed on an unsuspecting mall.

Hours later it seemed they were laughing, stumbling into the Tower under a small mountain of boxes and bags, the other Titans staring slack-jawed, their take out pizza forgotten at what they heard as the two passed, on the way down the hall to their rooms.

"...riously should consider a new outfit, I mean that color-" Terra cut off, waving at the team by the table as Raven giggled beside her, nodding enthusiastically.

"Oh yeah, I agree. Maybe something in black and gold, those suits the other one." She grinned and waved as well, then turned back to Terra, continuing their conversation. "So about that one band, what was the name? AFI?" When Terra squealed at Raven's faux strutting, mimicking the last video they'd seen at a mall shop, they passed around a bend in the hall, and out of view from the other four Titans.

The collective group blinked at one another and looked down at the pizza they'd ordered for lunch. As one they dumped the food in the trash and passed around some aspirin.

"I didn't really see that did I?" Robin asked, pulling at his uniform self consciously.

Cyborg looked at him, his expression slack. "Yeah, you did. Want a playback?"

"Never."

"Yeah, didn't think so," the metal Titan nodded, patting Beast Boy on the head as he sat in the form of a scared Labrador by the table. "S'ok man, I think they'll be back to normal soon."

Starfire just grinned around a straw in her horseradish sauce, looking thoughtful.

_I New York, LaGuardia Airport, Midnight I_

The smell of rain and a wicked crick in her neck greeted Jinx, as she disembarked flight 218, feet echoing on the rampway as she tried to stay out of the press of humans making their way through LaGuardia airport. Jinx yawned, still not quite awake from the flight's nap. _One of these days, I need to have Raven teach me that teleporty, shadow walking whatever she does... would make this stuff a hell of a lot easier. _

Toting her day pack over a listless shoulder, the teen pulled her hoody up over the bulk of pink hair framing her face, the nap having dislodged most of it in flight. Catching sight of a clock, she pulled out her cell and checked for service, muttering about national carriers and plan bills. The clock chimed midnight as she passed, and shortly she was outside in the causeway, hailing a taxi, the airport itself being nestled inside the city proper.

The cabby, a rather odd collection of rolled fat and smelly clothes, asked her for a destination with a heavy accent, something she couldn't place. "Yeah, 11th avenue, 400 block," she answered, leaning back hard into the seat to keep the odor at bay as much as she could.

The sights of the unfamiliar city may have held her at some point, but she was only here as a means to an end, and time wasn't her ally now. It was little over a week till Raven's birthday, and thought she had hints and an idea how she could help her, there was little real information, little real planning that could be done.

She needed more time. More... everything.

The cab pulled over nearly an hour later, the time on her watch telling her a quarter till nine, PM, but she knew local time was nearing one AM. She thanked the man and left the money on the passenger seat, hastily fleeing to the cleaner air of the city. _Ironic, that it smells better out here..._

Jinx pulled her jacket tight about her, settling her hood in place with a wary eye to the shadows and unfamiliar city about her. She paced about a few moments, her pace slowing as she found a lit corner upon which to lean and rest, getting her bearings slowly in the noise and clutter of the oddly quiet street.

She took out her cell, and with a glance around the city street again, dialed a number with butterflies fluttering about in her stomach.

A hesitant, sleepy voice answered, "He... mm. Hello?" The pink haired girl was silent a moment and she imagined violet eyes checking the caller ID of the phone by her ear. "Jinx?" Despite feeling some remorse at waking the sleepy Titan she smiled.

"Hey, sunshine. Were you sleeping?" Jinx cast her voice quiet, shielding the phone as best she could from the sound of the street around her.

"Silly... no, I was just laying here." Jinx heard the smile growing in her voice as she spoke, matching it with her own. "But hey, you're all fuzzy, is you're phone dying?"

"No, must be where I am, but it's ok." She laughed, quietly, somewhat hesitant. "Mm, I just wanted to hear you, you know? I kinda... like your voice."

Raven hummed, a happy sound, "You're silly, but I kinda like it." Jinx heard the other girl shift around, the sound of clothes and cloth coming over the phone. "So, what has you calling? Everything ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just." She hesitated, "I'm kinda working on something. It's important, and I wanted... to hear you." Jinx looked down, breathing heavy a moment.

"Hey. What is it, you're worrying me. Jinx?"

Wiping at a suddenly stinging eye, she sniffled once. "I'll be home soon, and um." Laughing nervously she leaned back, banging her head into the wall behind her. "Just so you know, no matter what, I'm still making that date."

Raven was silent, her heart beating too loudly in her ears.

"I should go, so I can get back. Get some sleep, sunshine. I'll-"

The Titan cut her off, before she could finish, "Tell me, you know I can tell. Just, what is it?"

Sighing, pink hair falling into her face, she stared at her feet for long moments. "Raven, I'm seeing someone about... about your father. That problem, I figured I could find something out." She started talking then, words coming faster than she meant, spilling out of her. "I want to know, to help, but I can't... I'm just me. Just little old Jinxy. But," Jinx stopped, her mouth moving slowly as she tried to gather her thoughts. "I know about people, I heard... about someone, who could help. Someone who may know what to do."

"Jinx, Jennifer... where are you?" Raven's voice was faint, scared.

The girl, her hood up tight and high, keeping the light from her eyes, still smiled, her hair shuddering faintly with her breath. "I'll be home soon, b-but, it's ok. Raven? I promise."

"Don't you dare stand me up on my first date, Jinx."

She laughed, the sound pealing around the street around her, a quiet elation at the small gift Raven had just given her, "Wouldn't dream of it, sunshine." Wind whipped her hair around, stinging her eyes. "Goodnight, Raven." Before she could reply, her finger found the call button and in moments all Jinx could hear was the vague sound of wind, and dialtone.

"I..." Voice dropping to a whisper she finished the thought, the only witness the street and gloom of deep night.

Leaning fully back against the wall, Jinx watched the mist, a light hazing of clouds gliding around the lights dotting the street. As she stared up, trying to pick the stars out of the blackness, she could only feel the cold, the damp of the dirty air pressing against her. No clean starlight, no growing moon. The uneven teeth of the New York skyline, jaws patiently waiting for the sky to dip too close, obscured the vault from her seeking eyes.

_Sorry, sunshine. You've got enough on your hands. Time for me to do my part._ She giggled slightly, shaking her head hard. _Lets do this_.

She scanned the street, the numbers ticking by. _413... 417..._ Pausing by the doorway, leading to a subfloor entrance, Jinx looked for some sign she wasn't mistaken. Or was mistaken. She knew, if her hands were held out, they'd be shaking.

_421. _

Pulling her hood back as she settled the daypack, her hair falling to frame her face, Jinx took a deep breath and pushed the door open, the dimly lit room opening up before her like the innards of some beast. The end of the stairs went briefly beyond the door, ending in a small standing room. No chairs, no benches, only the velvet roping closing off her passage past a rather large man, the rug that trailed down the stairs passing through a small hallway, out of her sight. The red lighting, and thumping of music from down the hall did nothing to dispel her first impression, and overall the effect was intimidating and slightly nauseating. Maybe it didn't help that all the details of the room seemed made of ivory, and the walls themselves were of red cloth, gently pulsing in that same beat, the air moving the material slightly and making them look alive.

_Oh yeah, this is the place._ Jinx stood rooted, remembering all she could from that spied journal page. It was really more a simple mistake, than spying, as she'd come to her lesson on the JLA Satellite late, and found Zatanna reading in a small book. She'd hoped to sneak up on the elder witch and surprise her, maybe dull the punishment she'd receive for being late somewhat as they shared a sense of humor.

What she'd found, on sneaking behind the woman, was that the book wasn't another magical grimoire she'd assumed, but a small journal. She'd read only one line, before backing away and clearing her throat noisily.

Apparently, even in mistakes, her luck held. _Who knew that those two words would send me here, and be so vital to this plan... _Shaking off her musing, she approached the rather stoic man, his body a doorway to the room beyond and her goal.

She stopped short as rather than query her, as she was expecting the bouncer to do, he rather held up a shuffled card, back facing her that was pulled from a deck on the table. Blinking, she tilted her head and regarded him. "Uhm."

When the man didn't answer, she sighed slumping slightly. "Right, guess the card, don't get tossed in the street, yeah?" An almost imperceptible nod was her only response.

The air in the room spun about, and at it's whisper Jinx nodded, grimacing slightly. "A crow falling into an ocean."

The bouncer raised an eyebrow. _Oh for fuck's sake, is everyone a comedian?_ "Alright! Fine, it's a raven. Happy now? Ra. ven." She huffed as the man, easily outmassing her by twice, parted the velvet barrier with a sardonic smile. "Jerk," she shot the jibe at him in passing, rankled more by his slight grin becoming more obvious.

_Everyone's a damn... oh boy_. The room that opened up from the small hallway was a slight detour from what she'd come to expect in a bar, or club, or... anything really. _Detour through crazytown via Arkham and maybe with a few picturesque stops in hell and Escherland, more likely. _

The band playing could have been one of Johnny Rancid's cover acts; they looked rather out of place against the stylish and expensive furnishings and trimmings of the place. What sent her into the creeping shivers was the clientèle. And the staff. _Oh hell, the whole place feels wrong! Lets not split hairs._

At a table near her, a man was licking at the gore he left, strings of flesh still caught in an impossible maw of teeth as they retreated from the shoulder of a... smiling?! girl beside him, casually rubbing a hand along his inner thigh. _Moving on, moving on, just another, run of the mill pink haired girl that's totally not interesting to look at or notice, yep, nothing to see here..._

_Oh god, what is That?!?!_ She cut a wide detour around a table habited by a... man? With an octopus for a face who was doing... things... to the people joining him there. With the tentacles. _Oh god oh god o-_

She ran into a rather unyielding body, one that nearly bounced her back into the floor, stalling her internal spiral into panic for the moment, "Oh, oww... sorry, was... not watching where I was walking, sorr-"

"Hush. Look at me, child." The voice dripped into her ears and seemed to take root in her head, a pleasantly warm humming working it's way down her spine at the sound. She looked up, any warnings that her normally hesitant mind would have were blasted free of her reason with the tinkling laugh that the voice barraged her with shortly after the command.

_Pretty... so pretty..._ her mind, addled by the voice and the assault of the laughter that seemed to drive her like a puppet, could only feed her so much information. Mainly, it was rather impressed with the woman before her, dressed in a simple sundress, a thin thing that outlined her body far too well in the light of this place. That light seemed to bend around her, focus behind and outline the figure before Jinx, and her alone. Her face was too radiant to focus on long, but she knew, _she knew_, it was beautiful.

The voice came again, and her world spun around it, centered on it, became secondary to it's warmth. The pleasant thrum of it going from her ears to the base of her spine, her lips parting slightly at the pleasure hearing it again gave her, making her knees weak. "Follow me, child. Follow me..."

_I Titan Tower, Midnight I_

Raven stared at her phone with a growing sense of unease. "She's doing something for me? Because of this..." her fingers moved of their own, tracing the growing tattoo. Heedless of the cool autumn air, the dark Titan folded into her darkness into the outside night, above the tower and sat, watching the stars.

_Why was she so worried? Jinx seemed nervous, but why? What was she doing?_

"Questions I can't answer. My least favorite kind," Her simple statement was only witnessed by the stars, as Raven tried to clear her mind, willing all the anxiety and worry she felt aside, for now. She snarled as her shadow bulged, eyes blinking curiously up at her from it.

"No. Stay in there. I don't have the patience for you now." The thing, shadow stuff and winking eyes, retreated, much like a scolded puppy. She sighed, weariness stealing back over her as the night spun on, and her cell phone sat quiescent. She blinked slowly, eyes growing heavier each moment, as thoughts of Jinx played through her mind. Images bubbled up, mirrors of memories, to settle on the surface and wink back at her mind's eye.

The surface would shiver, and another would replace it. Slowly the images became imaginings, and in the warmth of her own half-admitted feelings, she drifted, aimless and content.

The moon, growing fat and slow as it marched across the sky, had nearly made it's rounds as Raven drifted off into sleep, the stinging warmth of her tattoos warding away the autumnal chill. The false peace settling over her spread, and with a small tug the power in her surged, and she was once again within her room. Her shadow grew, slipped and spilled from the bed, bursting it's boundaries and exploding against the room. Things of inky black, shadows played about on the walls, legion, and spoke, cavorted, regarded the young half-demon as she lay quiet.

Her dreams, the usual nightmares were absent, and Raven slept well, if fitful. The carousel of night things spun about her room, a tour of the master's chambers, guided by a facet of her own self. Four blank, empty eyes kept silent watch over the sleeping girl, as they carved a path into the inky gloom of her sanctum.

_-You are truly your father's daughter, but I cannot show this to you yet.-_ A shuddering rasp, the sound of a harsh wind along dead leaves was the only sign of Fear's laughter. _-Soon your legion shall be ready, young Rachel. Soon the army of your soul will be ready to command.-_

_I New York, 2 am, _13th Hour_ bar and lounge I_

She didn't realize that she had been walking, arm linked with the pale, hauntingly beautiful woman until she found herself suddenly snapping back to reality in a room she didn't remember entering. Reality also brought something akin to a hangover.

Blinking in the half light of the room, Jinx tried to keep her panic in check as her eyes surveyed the place. Various trinkets, oddities, things, baubles and other curiosities she's run out of words for cluttered a desk that normally would be a room unto itself. The thing was massive. As were the zombies all around, at least a half dozen of them, arranged unmoving and ever watchful along either wall that held her attention.

See, she knew they were zombies. Had to be. _That one is missing half it's shoulder. And that one's eyes simply aren't there. That's one's finger just fell off. **What the hell!?!**_

She tried to crawl up a bit more into her chair, as it was a very, very big and she was sure, comfy chair under normal circumstances. Her hands clattered against the wooden arms, and her feet, still clad in her platform boots kicked her pack over, the clamor of it deafening in the utterly still room.

"Ah, so deh li'l one 'as awakened," the voice came from the other side of the desk, and squinting against the oddly lit room she realized there was, had been a man there all along. She cursed her Meta-human eyes for missing him, despite the eerie lighting that ran along the room's walls.

Swallowing hard, her mouth terribly dry suddenly, she nodded, voice small and hesitant. "Y-yes, so s-sorry for coming, dis-sturbing your night." She quickly rose and snatching up her pack was already halfway to the door, muttering to herself as much as the voice, "yeah, I'lll just be going now..."

The man's voice struck at her back, stopping her in place, "Would'jou be leaving, come all dis way, with not a 'ting to show for it?" His accent was so thick she had to run his words through her mind twice to make it work, but it did, and she turned again, regarding him.

He was the color of his chair, a deep mahogany that blended in with that side of the room, the lighting faint to outright missing. She could see his smile, teeth glinting below calculating eyes as her own adjusted to the confounding room. The man's clothing was garish, but somehow tasteful despite it, a mixture of colors that seemed more an embellishment to his room than a sense of personal style. But it was his eyes, voice that kept her on edge. _Predator's eyes, and he has a voice that could talk a snake from it's skin. I was so stupid to come here._

"No child, not stupid, foolish mayhap." He smirked as she started, numbly walking back to the large chair she'd been sitting in recently. "Many a foolish man wanders 'ere, but ne'er a stupid one," he smiled again, and it was less dangerous, more civil this time. He rose and came around the desk, plucking at a chair beside a zombie as if the thing wasn't there.

"Be forgettin' me manners, de name is Midnite, but most er'one calls me Papa. Papa Midnite, at 'er services, Miss." He scuffed the chair near hers, and sketched a bow she could have sworn was a twin of Joe's, dropping quietly into the backwards facing furnishing.

She cleared her throat quietly and blushed, dropping into a sketchy curtsy, "Er, I'm Jinx, but ah," She remembered a lesson, important from Zatanna regarding names, and stilled her tongue as she hesitated. "Yeah, most people just call me Jinx," She finished lamely.

The man's laughter was booming, and it knocked her back into the chair, more from it's sudden shock than anything. "See! I be tellin' you, not a stupid girl, not at all." He let his laughter die to a slight chuckle. "But'jou knew, who it be you 'er comin' to find, did ye not, li'l one?" When she nodded slowly he clapped, a sudden sound that startled her had the door to the outside opening, the radiantly pretty woman standing there, eyes closed.

"Fee, see to de club for nary an hour, I be in a meeting," he grinned and Jinx blinked confused, at his next comment. "Be a meeting with me west coast counterpart, young Miss Wrangler. Seems she be coming to spin a deal with ol' Papa tonight."

When the door had swung closed again, she cocked a brow at the man before her and voiced the question he'd raised in her, "Deal? What do you mean?" Jinx settled her pack back into the floor.

Midnite grinned –_I'm beginning to hate that grin_ – but reached into his jacket and pulled out a small metal box, ornately inlaid. Reaching in with his lips seemingly fixed in that perpetual half smile, he pulled out a sliver of wood, the small case smelling of cinnamon oil. The man offered her the case and she refused, nose wrinkling at the strong smell.

"Well li'l one, you came for some'ting. Came a great ways, and it mus' be dire need, for'jou to waltz inna lion's den like dis." His expression turned somber as he watched her, smile fading as he chewed on the sliver of oiled wood. "How di'jou come to learn o' dis place, li'l one?"

Jinx frowned, aware suddenly that she'd barely walked into this place, and had lost all control of what was happening. _Sloppy, and the sort of thing that gets girls like me killed_, she mused, outwardly looking thoughtful at his question. "It circles around in the magic societies, that if you need something, you can usually find it or information about it here," gesturing around, she grinned, somewhat sarcastic. "Not necessarily in the more respectable circles mind you, but the word, quiet as it is, gets around."

Midnite nodded slightly, his grin appearing for a moment before being curled around the cinnamon scented splinter again. "So. Den'jou be here for some information, not a trinket or service, I see." He leaned back, arms as wide as his smile, which spread across his face suddenly. "See, 'dere be luck in you girl, good too. Information, dis be my speciality."

Despite her still present sense of wariness, she smiled and nodded, the older man's charisma working on her as they spoke. "It's a simple thing, really. I'm also prepared to pay well for the information." She faltered as Midnite suddenly whooped in laughter, his hand slapping at a knee. "Er?"

"Child, do you 'tink Papa be needin' money?" He swept a hand along the wall, blank oddly, and grinned his predator's grin at her. Jinx narrowed her eyes until he laughed quietly, mirthlessly. "De traffic of men, men like you an' I, for make ne'er a mistake young miss, soon'jou be a po'er in'jou own house, is influence. Information. Power. Fear. Respect." He stood and snapped a finger, one of the drones by the wall shambling to him slowly.

Her eyes widened and she slid back in the chair, away from the thing as it heeled by Midnite's hand, the thing's expression slack and unchanging, just a shell. The elder man, the Voodoo King as she'd heard him called, inspected the automaton carefully a moment before snapping a finger, shaking his head slowly side to side.

The thing fell as if it's strings had been cut, and Jinx edged back so far in the chair, pushing with her hands at the seat, that she had to stop herself before toppling it.

"Po'er, li'l one. Life an' death. Loyalty. Fear. Respect. Influence reaching into deh hearts of men, far an' wide." He turned back, and the thing was quickly dissolving into dust, seeping into the carpet as she watched, pupils narrowing in her panic despite wide eyes. Midnite slowly sat and regarded her somberly. "Fear, li'l one. A po'er I 'ave over'jou, right now." Tapping at his teeth with the splinter while shaking his head, the Voodoo King sighed.

"Miss, I don' know what it were dat brought'jou to me house, but mayhap it be time to explain, no?"

Jinx relaxed her hands, arms back along the chair, nails digging into the plush fabric of the rests with a satisfying feel of material parting around sharpened claws. She breathed once deeply and painted on her Cheshire grin, the man across from her raising a brow. "Ever hear that saying, that all good tales, no matter how they end, or what moral they try to teach... all stories worth telling, all start with a girl, Midnite?"

Cocking his head to the side, he watched her quietly, a slight nod her only indication he was listening at all.

"Well, then. You see there's this girl..." At his pealing laugh she paused, her eyes tracking a zombie, moving of it's own to bring them a tray two bottles, some very ornate spoons, a small dish and two rather odd shaped glasses upon it. "Her name, the one she'd let me speak, is Raven. Maybe you've heard of her?"

Midnite shrugged, taking the tray and motioning the automaton to kneel. The thing did so, still as death, it's back a table for the two. Jinx, swallowing her own fears and anxiety with a savage wrench of her mind, propped a foot up on the things hunched shoulder.

"Mind?" When the man smirked and mirrored her with a shrug she got more comfortable, watching him with her cat's eyes."See, here's the problem I have. I like this girl, quite a bit." When he made no outward sign of question or comment, she went on, smoothing over the silence with a glance at the badly faded labels upon the bottles.

"It's nearly her birthday, and her father's going to pay her a visit. I don't know what circles he gets around in, but the name is Trigon." She raised a brow as his fingers faltered and the bottle tipped more than planned in his hand, a small pool of green-amber liquid settling on the tray. "From what we know, when he arrives, she dies." Jinx's voice took a hard edge, and Midnite nodded, as she looked through him, lost in her own musing. "That is not acceptable."

He glossed the slip over by topping off the small portion of drink, only enough to fill the bulbous reservoir in the center of the fluting. _Well, when in Rome... burn it down_, reaching out she grasped the dark bottle, a nearly black thing, and poured the somewhat thick, heavily aromatic green fluid into her own cup. Midnite smiled, halting his own small ritual as she learned, mimicking him.

_Mm, licorice, I wonder how this will taste_, she mused, swirling the liquid around slightly in her glass, eliciting a small grin from her host. "Sugar next, li'l one. Watch." She did, eyes rapt on the spoons, Midnite picking one and setting it along the top of his glass. "To hold de sugar, jou see," the small ornate flatware seemed made to task, less a spoon than a very ornate sieve.

The tongs dipped into the bowl, and a single cube of sugar was withdrawn, it's color fading to deep pink near the center. Jinx furrowed her brow at this, as everything else had been of astounding quality, yet the sugar was discolored. "I be knowin' what'jou be 'tinkin, and it is very, very high quality, li'l one." His smile was amused, almost the kind you'd level on a small curious child. "Worry not, I be drinkin' with you," and in saying passed her the small bowl, the tongs, and a sieve spoon of her own.

_Nero wept..._ she thought quietly, swallowing a bit at this odd ritual and arranging the implements, sugar, as Midnite had on his own glass. Satisfied she looked up into the smiling face of the man, breath heavy with cinnamon as he nodded with enthusiasm. "Good! Good, now to louche de mixture..." and in saying took the clear bottle, chilled she could tell from the clouding and condensation, and poured slowly, ever slowly across the cube upon the spoon.

_What a pretty, but delicate little ritual_, she thought, remembering a Japanese tea service some time ago, and suddenly struck with a similar feeling. She glanced down at the fluid in Midnite's glass and blinked, the small reservoir's contents slowly clouding, turning a soft, spring green as the water hit it. The sugar was dissolved when the glass was full, she figured a mere four ounces, maybe five total there. "Dis be called, 'Hazing de Lady', li'l one. It tames de Green fairy, coaxes 'er to gentler conversations."

_Green fairy_, she thought to herself, brows knitting, _why does that seem familiar,_ she blinked at he held the chilled water to her, nodding once for her to take the decanter. "Mus' be quick, young Miss, de Lady be not patient," and grinning, showed her the right angle to pour, dissolving her own cube and resulting in a pretty, clouded drink to match his own. "De water, it separates oils in dis brew, you smell de anise, licorice but 'dere is much more, louche frees dem," he continued, leaning back and raising his glass to the young witch.

She returned his salute, mouth dry and somber at his show, "To what do we toast?"

His smile was wicked, and she laughed slightly, "Why, to greater understanding, li'l miss. Greater understanding."

She watched as he drank, slowly, savoring the liquid but not pausing, draining the entirety in the span of a long thought. Jinx tilted her own glass, the smells having bloomed and grown as the water really did open up the liquid. She could smell nutmeg, even juniper. The drink settled around her tongue, the alcohol spearing into her throat with a slight sting, while the herbs drifted about her mouth, each clamoring for attention.

Blinking, never having had such a complex aperitif in her life, she savored each draught, a small smile finishing her lips as the last was gone from her glass. Jinx settled back in her chair, the automaton on the ground forgotten as her boot lazed on it's shoulder.

A half handful of minutes she saw, watched, as they were shed from the clock, petals drifting to the floor slowly. The material of the chair clamored for her attention, it's tiny, iridescent red hands waving in the dim light. She delicately, lovingly ran a finger along the top of them, careful not to bruise the adoring digits. A bell of sound, like a church, _No, like a country made of churches, all tolling noon at once_, her mind corrected, pulled her attention north, to the specter there.

Midnite, standing with a small drum and holding out one similar, a simple loop of bone, still bloody and with a graying skin upon it stood, swaying to a music she could almost see from his movements. "The Lady speaks, and we listen, li'l one. Come, let us talk," and in so saying, the churches all went silent, as her own voice pealed out, a small symphony of flutes, clarinets, the trilling of air on her lips almost stopping her mid sentence.

"Midni...nite, what was in that?" She wavered, and in righting herself, floated slightly on the air, which she thanked by leaning down and brushing the pale hands with her lips.

His small laugh was like a city, all committing suicide at once, each bullet evacuating a different skull. She smiled and realized perhaps he would laugh at such, as such. "Miss Wrangler, dat was absinthe, but de Green fairy, I take some liberties wit' 'er." He popped a sugar cube into his mouth, offering her another. She followed suit, the aftertaste of the thing coiling about her tongue, biting it, over and again like a snake, it's venom coalescing in her eyes, in her ears with each sting.

"Liberties?" she whispered, her mind hazing, fingers scampering on the drum slowly, finding a beat to match her heart with wooden digits. The hollow rasp of it snapped her back to the moment, and with a greater confidence, she found he'd begun a tattoo of his own, the sound spreading across the newly stretched skin with a stain, almost a blush.

Nodding in time to his own drum, the larger man began a counterpoint, stepping with his feet as she watched swaying, "Aye, liberties named Virola an' Syrian Rue, li'l Miss, but worry not, Papa Midnite be a gentleman, jou can be at ease in dis house, as it be now a house for jou as well," his eyes had closed, rolled back in his head as he spoke, and Jinx was finding it hard to stand, so she stopped, her bones more suited to air and smoke now. She drifted there, a small thread of sound escaping her lips rising and falling with her thoughts.

Jinx's mind lingered, prompted by a deep basso earthquake upon it's surface, and she sang of the small things, herself, that worried her. She was the big bang, she slipped herself into things, and they ceased, fell apart, rusted, died. Unnoticed by her, heavy in the trance, they had left the room, Papa Midnite having put on a business suit, high top hat and carrying a spade in hand. As the tap room took note, the place changed, curled around them like smoke and parted, the patrons clearing form one table to the next, simply a wake in their passing. The band moved off the stage, and into the pit before, instruments quiet and playing a holding passage. It was a still time. A waiting.

Midnite drummed slowly, his spade against the back of a freshly dead man, and the band rose, small counterpoint to the voice the half-present girl, speaking with a sound made of wind and trees, and in the language of scattering, fleeing thoughts. Midnite felt the words, the images play across his ritual dress, the suit and hat of Samedi, his spade a scepter, sink into him like tattoo needles, injecting him with understanding.

The young witch sang on, her thoughts the shifting of her self, her centric core. She moved from phase to phase, anxiety and embarrassment at how much she wanted to bury herself in the soft perfumed skin of the one who's attention she desired burst along her like flame. Her body was flame then, licking, curling in at the corners, a mimicry of lovers as her imaginings played along her mind.

The apparition drifting there on stage, less girl than idea now, sang so, became so, and people, patrons, and staff nodded in understanding. Lust, desire was universal. Many, keener ears and more refined senses keyed for such a show, let the impromptu band drive them, and in Jinx's desire they succumbed, the divans and lounge benches full of writhing flesh and bone as the once-girl spoke of the one she desired.

Desire moved to concern, and the bodies, the eyes watching rapt stilled and they felt the quaking of her heart, the unknown, the fear. Imminent loss, impending doom, but a certainty, not a question. Her love in danger, her heart unclear. She curled in on herself, the light brightening as she was a galaxy in and of herself, each pinprick of light a hope and dream, growing, living, dying in the cosmos that was Jinx.

The shadow of a beast swept across it, and stars died in scores, countless ones lost in the wake. Voices rose up in anger, terror, anguish as the girl's voice, a thing now of seas of tears and salt crusting across long dead bones, welled up in them, catching and dragging them behind her like a siren and her prey. Midnite slowed the drumming, his counterpoint a question.

_Trigon, Trigon comes_, her voice lamented, the universe inside her crumpling, it's beauty overshadowed, as the two shades raced, fought in her mind. The Patrons watched, some silently excited by the chase, the hunt as the Demon chased the Daughter, some openly angry, Midnite simply kept the beat steady, holding the girl to her dialog, her musing with time, and beat, and the steady pulse he made with his spade.

She suddenly flared, her body churning, a thing of wind and stone and uncertainty. Lights flared, and she focused on one, the brightest, and her voice went still, the music counterpoint of the band dying to quiet still background noise.

Midnite motioned to Fee, and the woman came, eyes closed but tears marking her face, scarring, burning along it slowly. "It been some time since I be seeing a succubus cry, Fee. You gonna be a'right?" When the demon nodded he motioned to the still half-made girl beside him, drifting between forms in the throes of his chemical cocktail. "Powerful girl, damn powerful. She nearly level de block at one point, did'jou feel?"

The demoness nodded again, regarding the lazily reposed girl, seeing her plainly. "She spins through elements easy, but it's not her power, just the shadow of it, isn't it?" When the man nodded she shivered. "What is her talent then, what's the thing that lets her do this?" Reaching out a slender finger, she winced slightly as it's touch elicited a flame, a trace of fire along the girl's face, still indistinct.

"Mm, won't be sayin' that here lass." The man's voice dropped and he beat his drum, beckoning to the girl-made-wraith to follow, which lazing in the air, she did.

The demoness's eyes cracked open a sliver, gold and crimson peeking under heavy lids as she watched the youth, Jinx, drift back into Midnite's office, the door shutting behind them. "Curiouser and curiouser." Closing her eyes again, the afterimage of that nearly contained explosion of potential, a miniature big bang, fading from her memory. She snapped a finger and the band moved back into position, the action signaling that the show was over, and for the patrons to resume their normal activities. People, things flowed back into their routines, and business continued, as it had for ages here.

Midnite pulled the girl back into the stuff she was made with his magic, his will and the last borrowed remnant of Samedi's favor tonight, and she sat, as she had been before. The large red velvet chair seemed to engulf the sleeping girl, and as he wearily took to his desk, the last vestiges of his own godhood fading with the ritual, he thought.

_Li'l one, she came 'ere for information, powerful information. Somet'ing that could help 'er kill... yes kill, that one would only come again... kill a po'erful demon_. His eyes flicked to the girl, her impossible pink hair, the waifish but blooming figure, a light dusting of a blush coming back to her cheeks. _Great burden, for such a small one. But dis the way of t'ings, eh sister?_ His hand strayed to a skull, the rippling thought of a reply his only response.

_Oh yeah, I be sendin' 'er to 'im. We be discussin' de terms of the deal a'fore she goes. Half paid, as it were, that li'l show will 'ave de marks in for weeks t'come, business will be good._

"Business is always good, for Papa Midnite," Grinning, he let the lights dim till only the glint of his eyes and that impossible Cheshire smile, matching Jinx's nearly, shone into the room.

* * *

A/N: Ugh. Long chapter. Hope it was worth it. This is the stage of the story I like to call, "Shit gets wierd, then suddenly starts making loads of sense." 

Yes, that was the traditional way to serve Absinthe, well minus the laced sugar cubes. Research the names, if you absolutely need to know what he did to Jinx.

I hate being a tease, here's a hint: "Load universe into cannon. Aim at brain. Fire."

Papa Midnite C/O Hellblazer, also a DC work. No, doubt we'll see John in here, no need for him. I hate mocking a Jamaican accent in print. But it adds a nice effect.


	13. Chapter 13

**Deeesclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, in any incarnation. Just borrowing the lovely lot for a bit of fun.  
**

* * *

The motive force, that integral thing that gives us all definition, contrast against the homogeneity of the universe, is choice. Will, and the freedom to use it. 

It also puts one in direct consequence of their own actions. Sow. Reap. _Reap._

* * *

_**Act Three: In Darkest Night**_

**Chapter Thirteen**

_I New York, _13th Hour_ bar and lounge, Early morning Saturday I_

There's little more disconcerting than waking up, and not remembering where you are. A disastrous case of cottonmouth, a warm body beside you unfamiliar, and the knowledge that yes, that thing over there _is_ a zombie, really only serve to make it a bit worse.

Jinx squeaked and would have dashed out of bed, but then she felt the rather luxurious sensation of the silk sheets on her skin and shivered. _Oh great, and I'm naked_. Closing her eyes and counting to ten in three different languages, one completely made up, she summoned a small spark of flame, something to mimic a match and surveyed the form beside her in the large unfamiliar bed.

A somewhat familiar face, female, cheeks slightly creased from what looked like much crying lay there, quiet and warm. But not breathing. Jinx reached out, moving honey colored hair back from the woman's face, surveying it for any hint of familiarity. _Fee, it was the woman from earlier, the... yeah. Pretty one. _Snatching her hand back, Jinx's brows furrowed and she decided that the not breathing thing must be normal for Fee, as she was still moving a little in her sleep and well, still warm.

She was very pretty, but sleep seemed to steal away some of the glamor. Jinx was glad, as that particular kind of hoodoo had scared her senseless after the fact. The woman stirred, shifting in her sleep and Jinx swallowed, her probing eyes met with a rather generous view of the woman's body against the thin material. Glancing down at herself, she realized the sheet was more decoration than for warmth, her paleness shining through it like a beacon. Shivering, she cast about for her clothes, and sighed. _Oh hell, may as well find out all of it at once._

"Fee, wake up... Fee." She lightly shook the woman's shoulder, swallowing as it set motion across her body that made Jinx's head light.

She nearly jumped when the woman answered instantly, "I've been awake a while, Jennifer. How did you sleep?"

Taking a deep breath to steady herself she thought about that, brows furrowed. "Really well, actually. No nightmares at all." When Fee smiled, Jinx tilted her head questioningly.

The woman sat up, heedless of the sheet slipping from her as she did so. The younger witch turned her head sharply away and blushed crimson, matching the sheets. "Don't worry so, little one. I only kept you warm and stole a dream or two, for which I hope you don't mind."

Nodding slightly, color still strongly across her cheeks, her face was an open book of relief as the other woman regarded her, if that could be said, with her eyes still closed. "Would it have been so bad, Jinx?" Her half smile curled slightly, as she leaned closer, the breath against her shoulder warm. Far, far too warm.

"Um, ah." She scooted back and nearly fell off the bed as the woman laughed, grinning at her mischievously.

"Sorry, hon. Your embarrassment is just too cute. Let me find your clothes, and yes I was being truthful. Just warmth, nothing more," and with the last word the woman – _demon_, Jinx corrected herself, rose, heedless of the unseeing, dead eyes on her.

_Just can't get used to them like that, don't care, just no_, she thought savagely, refusing to leave the bed until she had something to cover herself from the gaze of the undead sentinels.

The demoness searched about the room and finally came back with all of Jinx's clothes, as well as her daypack. "Midnite is in the next room over, through that door," at which she pointed to the southern wall. "I'll be out there waiting, as I believe you'd like your privacy," Her grin was warm, the effect dulled from her closed eyes.

"Wait, one thing," that nagged at her so. Why were her eyes always closed? "I know, once I get out there, it's back to business and the like, but ah." She fidgeted with the sheet and patted the place beside her, blushing hard. "Can we talk, a minute?"

Tilting her head questioningly, Fee nodded finally, sitting and covering herself from the waist down with the sheet. She saw the other girl's furtive attempts to keep her eyes on her own feet and laughed, that dangerous, mind-shattering laugh, the effect still giving Jinx shuddering fingertips running down her spine. "What is it you would know, Jennifer?"

Jinx took a breath and met her hooded gaze directly, secretly proud of herself for not being distracted. "You never seem to open your eyes, why is that?" When the other woman smirked slightly, shaking her head, Jinx frowned slightly.

"I'm a succubus, last night when you looked at me, my eyes were open. Do you remember what you felt?"

Blushing crimson again, the young witch nodded, looking at her hands quietly. "So your glamor, part of it is in your eyes?" She could see the demoness nodding slightly in her peripheral vision. "I don't... hah. I don't remember how they look, as sad as that sounds." She smiled ruefully and shook her head hard. "Mm, ah. Can you tell me what happened, last night? I'm having trouble remembering well."

The young witch started as she felt soft hands turn her, the face of the succubus inches away, her breath impossibly sweet to her nose as she shifted, closing that distance between them.

"I'll show you, perhaps that will help explain." Her eyes flew wide as soft lips closed down on her own, the succubus leaning against her with a small sound deep in her throat.

_Her eyes are so pretty... gold and crimson, wait... her eyes?_ Jinx's vision spun and the room settled back into place, only not the unfamilar bedroom.

_The taproom_, she noted, spread out around her. The world held a red tinge, and she knew this was as Fee saw things. The edging around some of the patrons was... dizzying. The octopus-headed man was a grey, furry almost fractal, it pulsed back inside his skin as she turned her attention to him. _It was like when you were little_, she realized. _When I was small, my room was like that, I would look at things and they'd be a coat, on a chair. Or a window with branches outside. But when I wasn't looking at them, the monsters inside sprung out, clawed at me_. She stared pointedly around the room, never at anyone, and saw the myriad 'monsters' inside people.

The woman who was being eaten alive, she shone like golden thread. Jinx realized she'd never die, and that whatever she gave away, like this, served to reinforce her, make her stronger. Sacrifice.

There were those, who seemed at first like Raven but so much less... substantial. Like they had less stuff of the soul inside them. Black forms spread and fluxed inside them, brief but definite.

An amused smile played over Fee's lips, she could feel, and there was the mirror, over the bar. Jinx gaped, openly at her aura, the edging about her was a bright crimson and gold, like her eyes. She could see those eyes, shining gold through her own eyelids. The effect was disconcerting to say the least, but then a sound reached her.

A drum.

Her memory clawed at her, the feeling of something stinging at her eyes and throat heavy in her mind as the sound kept on, a slow pulse. Then the door in the wall opened and out strode a god.

She could see the thing riding him. I was Midnite and not him, but at once was him perfected. The ritual clothes had a bloodsoaked sheen to them, steeped in ages of use, ceremony. The spade she knew was an ancient thing, likely shaped from a slaver ship's helm. It had a chain about it's handle, a heavy, somber series of three links. But the shape riding him, much like one would ride a horse, was at once terrible and awesome to see.

Cascades of black hair, a gentle face, but with deep, deep eyes. He called her Samedi, but it was just another face, a mask, and her face shifted, and the shape of her shivered. There the shadow thrown was a hunched man, ancient and wizened, with the tall hat and spade in hand. He was the undertaker of a people. Outliving all, a measurer of lives in the space they filled in his coffins.

Then the girl came behind him. Jinx's mind recoiled at seeing herself, as she knew, there was a vital definition inside that thing that was her. But her body seemed made of nothing, everything at once.

_I had become the impulse that drove me..._ she watched herself raise a voice with no mouth to see, and suddenly the world shivered. Blinking, Fee was steadying herself against the bar, her vision clear and sharp as she looked back up, eyes open.

There was Jinx, her soul inside the whirling, shifting sheathe of energy and thought around her, curled up like a sleeping child as her primal ideals, all that she was lay exposed, singing it's existence at the collected inhumanity of the bar.

She felt, deep somewhere, that such a voyeuristic display should have her feeling shame or anxiety at how many had seen it, but instead she was awed. _How... what did that to me?_

Fee's vision went crimson a time, and then dark as she realized the succubus wept, cried at her unfolding story. The world shifted again, and Jinx felt warm, impossibly warm skin under her fingers, her hips, her breasts as she lay against the demoness.

Jinx kissed slowly along the scars she'd left along the other's face, her hands slipping up and around Fee's shoulders, pulling her back into a lingering kiss, tasting the peculiar magic of her in her flavor, the way she seemed made to be desired.

They lay there, simply warmth and contact and comfort, the young witch lingering upon the demoness's lips, fascinated with the feel of them, the way they retreated from her, the resistance as she bit at them, how each small motion seemed to react like a trigger through Fee's body.

Fee's hands pushed her back, and they stared at one another, eyes open and staring. Fee blinked first, realizing Jinx wasn't held in a glamor at her lapse in manners. The succubus's color rose, a light dust of gold intensifying on her cheeks. "How can you do that, why, and what about your Raven?" something else made her hesitate, a feeling that set her on edge. It was like being too close to a power line, the way it made one's hair stand on end. To a demon, that usually meant one of two things.

Either who or whatever before you was devastatingly powerful, and worthy of some wariness in dealing with, at your own peril.

Or something of divine order, some spark or creation from the Host was nearby. Also a potentially perilous situation, at times. Many of the Host, lost to the light had frequented the bar, but as they were cut off, they didn't resonate like a holy tuning fork.

Fee felt something different about Jinx, since last night. Something had changed, in the girl, and she couldn't place it, but also couldn't just turn away.

Jinx shook her head slowly. "I figured, having never really learned how to kiss, I should take advantage of a willing teacher." Fee's laugh washed over the feline and she arched into the other woman, the effect of that sound still strong. "Seeing through your eyes, made it so I don't get bespelled, it seems, but that laugh is still deadly." The girl stretched, catlike and lay along the sheets, uncaring at her nakedness now. "And Raven will likely be grateful that one of us will know how to kiss, apparently tonight will be both our first dates, as unusual as that seems."

"Never before?" Fee tilted her head, smiling slightly at the girl before her. She bent her glamor as best away from her, realizing the temptation of virginal skin before her was likely one of the heady draws the girl had. Desire to possess that was nearly overwhelming.

"Nothing, before." Jinx sighed and laughed, quietly. Feeling the presence of the other over her, she purred, deep in her throat as she felt lips slip along the line between her navel and heart, shaking her head as she tangled regretful fingers in Fee's honey hair. "No, Fee. A tempting, and gods you are tempting, offer but I can't. And trust me the thought of learning more was strong in my mind." She pulled the succubus's lips back to her own and drank her in, lingering again, knowing the act was cruel, teasing but neither were complaining.

The two hesitantly disentangled and dressed, Fee simply materializing her sundress, this time in violet and black, blushing prettily in gold as she stood there. Jinx laughed, wrapping the demoness in a warm embrace as the flattering action, wearing Jinx's colors. "You're cute. So you know."

The two marched, matching smiles into Midnite's office, and the sight made the flavored toothpick drop from his mouth. "Mornin', ladies." He collected himself and sent a piercing stare at Fee, the pretty dusting of gold falling from her cheeks as he did so.

Jinx frowned. "She was fine, and only what I decided to, as a guest, was done." She held up a warding hand as he began to speak, and he blinked at being silenced in his own office. "And I'd know, because I saw out of her eyes, if she bespelled me in any way, that would break the charm. I am my own, so leave her be about it."

Raising a brow, Midnite sat behind his desk and peaked his fingers, watching the erstwhile bedmates with an unreadable stare. "Be dat as it 'ere, she be still in me employ." Jinx didn't miss a slightly arched eyebrow from Midnite, nor the small, almost imperceptible nod from Fee in response.

"No guest shall come to 'arm in my house. That is my rule, my law." He turned to his desk and shuffled a piece of paper, something that wasn't there before. "Fee, lass dis be for you. Collect on it as jou will," he held out a small envelope and the demoness slowly moved forward, lip between her teeth as she took the envelope from his hand, the thing snapping up into flame immediately as he released it. She shivered and turned back, reclaiming her place by, and Jinx's hand.

The young witch gave her a reassuring squeeze and turned back to Midnite. "I'm... unsure outside of my 'song', that I spoke of what precisely I was in need of from you," her voice steady, she addressed the business at hand, earning a smile from the man behind the desk.

_She be taking on the mantle of her place, good, good! She be needing it with that one. And Fee, as well, what an odd morning dis be turning out to be._

"Jou ne'er said, in truth, what jou sought, but were not so 'ard t'figure out," He held out another envelope, this one sealed with wax and with her name on the blank back face. "Dere really be only one dat can be o' much assistance, in de ways'jou be needin'," He tapped the edge of the envelope on the desk, smiling. "De address of 'is establishment, one not unlike dis one."

Jinx stepped forward and reached out, taking hold of the side of the envelope offered her, but Midnite didn't release his side. "We 'ave yet to conclude business, li'l one," he said slowly, his predator's smile coming back into place.

He held her eyes, as a man knocked and entered the room, his manner rapid and rushed. "Midnite, there's a woman here, to see you. Quite angry, I may add."

The man's smile broke his face nearly in two and he released the envelope with a booming laugh. "Oh, Child that luck of yours, delicious it be." He motioned for the man to come closer and whispered something that made him pale unhealthily. The messenger walked woodenly from the room and Jinx stared at the man, Midnite, the envelope forgotten.

"I don't understand."

She heard a voice then, and paled._Zatanna?!_ When Midnite laughed, she started putting pieces together. "You needed... wanted to speak to Zatanna but couldn't go through other channels?" He nodded and raised a blood red glass to his lips, still chuckling.

"Lady 'as a trinket, one a Mister John Constantine 'as hoodwinked me out o' some time ago." He sat back, smiling contently and waving at Fee and her, his manner relaxed and dismissive. "Thanks be to you, li'l miss, for bringin' Lady Zatara 'ere, but I do t'ink your presence would be distracting," he stood, and pulled aside a small curtain behind the desk, uncovering a huge standing mirror, the thing fluid and wavering in the wind of the cloth's passing.

"Oh no, Midnite, I'm not going through that thing again, once was bad, not again-" Fee stilled, looking at Jinx nervously. "Ah. I'll explain later. We're leaving together." She stabbed a finger at the 'mirror' and glared at the man beside it. "No."

Jinx's head spun from the confusion of the last few minutes, the letter still forgotten in her hand. Her host's voice cut into her musings and she looked up.

"Be dat as it 'ere, jou both need ta be goin', as I 'ave important work ahead o' me." Ushering Jinx behind the desk, Fee glaring the entire time, the man rather unceremoniously tripped her and sent her sprawling through the liquid thing, on pretense of stumbling on his chair. "Sorry, Fee, but de rules be rules."

"I know. But I'm going to miss this place. It's like home." She sighed, leaning against his desk a moment, considering him. "Will you not take another contract?"

Shaking his head and pounding a fist into his desk, he turned a glare on her that would crack stone. "Don't test me lass! I be not a fool, or as heartless as many t'ink," softening his words with a small, sad smile, he took her arm and hugged the succubus tight, kissing each cheek briefly and bowing to her, a small prayer on his lips as she shook her head slowly, stepping backward through the alien thing encased in the wall.

Zatanna burst into the room as Midnite regarded his mirror, inspecting the state of his beard. The woman, blue eyes blazing snarled a him curtly, "dnuora nurT!" The witch had been tracking the signals the girl made, had nearly met her in Jump, but instead run into a small boy, young and foul mouthed that had only spoken once she bespelled the youth.

Then the Satellite had sent her here, telling her an Omega level transmission had briefly pulsed into being but faded into a lower threat level, then died off in about an hour. Zatanna sped here, only to find the sometimes associate to one of her least favorite scum, back alley hack occultisms John Constantine harboring, possibly holding her student. She'd not put it past the man before her. After all, that was his sister's skull on his table.

The Voodoo King was spun around, barely landing in his chair with a huff and blinking at the woman incredulous. "You dare! Remember who-"

"pu tuhs! Won, deneppah tahw yltcaxe em lleT!" Her commands, backed by the peculiar method of her inverse command casting stilled the man. His glare was venom as the imperative of her order forced words from him, a simple recount of the night.

Zatanna blinked, her hand flying to her temple as she took a deep steadying breath. "You... you got her_ high?!_" Her voice cracked, and she snarled at the man in front of her, lashing him in place with magic and her anger. The office door burst open and she leveled a burning azure glare at the intruders, inhumans in Midnite's employ, coming to back up their patron.

Zatanna sneered, a simple phrase snapping from her lips, "era uoy nimrev eht emoceB." Magic force flared around the group and they fell, writhing as their forms became those of insects, rodents. She slowly turned, her eyes glinting in the half light at the man straining against the invisible bonds around him.

"Is dis 'ow a Justice League dog be actin' now, 'ow dare-" he never finished as she leaned down, fist connecting with his jaw and spraying the side of his desk with the blood of his split lip.

The witch glared down at him, propping a stiletto-heeled shoe against his midriff with bruising force. "No. This is how the queen bitch of the Sentinels of Magic acts, when you trivial nobodies fuck with the way of things." She prodded at him with a nail, "You aren't a fool. You knew her chaos, that Demiurge inside her was barely contained."

When he sneered and looked away, refusing to acknowledge what she had said, she kicked out viciously with her heel, setting the man vomiting and retching in pain before her.

She paced about while he regained his composure she set her foot and sat him back up, glaring into his red eyes. "Do you realize, the kind of damage a Demiurge, someone as young as her, undisciplined and unbound could do if that force took hold and controlled her? You got her high, you broke her mental barriers down. She could go insane from this! Where is she?" Zatanna leaned in close, her glare cold as she waited for his response. Instead he spat, blood spraying her face and muttered under his breath.

The witch hissed in pain, her concentration broken as the blood turned acid across her face, suddenly careening into a wall from the kick the Voodoo priest leveled into her midsection. Her breath came out in a rush, doubling over a small table, followed by a breathless screech as the man's hand, an iron vice closed over her face.

Midnite was taking no chances with League dog, the vile mouth she had. He used all the force he had, pressing into her, willing her to collapse under the vice of his hands, hoping to black her out before she could retaliate.

He felt a sharp pressure on his scalp and blinked, his hands loosening on the sullenly glaring woman, as he stumbled, going to his knees as he blinked confused. Zatanna snorted at the man, bleeding from the head wound her steel heel had made in his cranium, the shoe still clasped in her hand, blood and matter staining the spike.

"Fucking prick." Pulling a penknife from her pocket, she pricked her finger and wrote in blood on the man's back, a spell to heal him and wipe his memory in an hour, of the last day and a half's history. "But first, lets see what's happened to Jinx..." Looking around for some scrying materials, she glanced at her shoe and rolled her eyes. "You fucking better be clean, asshole."

Swiping a finger across the spilled matter on the heel, she closed her eyes with a mental shudder and invoked one of the oldest forms of sympathetic magic known to man.

Cannibalism.

She saw through the man's experiences, focusing through the hazy, greasy blur of images only on the image of her errant student.

_There_, she saw her. Saw the ritual of absinthe, cursing the man the entire time. _Stupid girl, stupid, stupid... dear god. What is she?_ She watched the tableau before her in slow motion, taking in details. How the stage play progressed, the depth the girl felt. _Not good, so not good_.

She sped up percieved time, to the envelope, the address and directions on it, as it was sealed. Paling, she swallowed with a dry mouth at the name that address led to. _No way..._ She knew of Midnite's plan, how there were many ways he could have had the girl 'pay' for her information, none of them things she liked. Her own thread of influence on the situation annoyed her, gave her pause.

He knew she may have come here, did he make a contingency plan? She scanned his memory and found nothing, so continued her search for the student, who was now worrying her more than the man she'd recently subdued.

The curtain snapped of the mirror and Zatanna hissed, having disregarded the thing earlier. Dismissing the spell she crossed the room to stare at the thing, the alien presence repulsing her on a fundamental level.

_Better than nothing, I guess_, she mused, deciding that any way to track her wayward student was better than losing her completely. She hesitated, and spoke a charm, a small divination with a hair she'd taken from the room Jinx stayed in.

Placing it on the surface the thing crackled and jolted her hand, blasting her back against the wall a second time, the image in her mind burning into it indelibly.

A city, one of many, the mad image of her student burned into a negative dancing along the threads of fate, the delicate tapestry of life bunched into bleeding hands. The girl laughed, and the threads snapped, recoiling back on themselves in an explosion of potential loosed at once into the fabric of time.

"This day is starting to seriously suck", Zatanna mumbled to herself, chanting a portal to San Francisco into existance, hoping she could catch up to Jinx before the girl somehow ended up as that vision foretold.

_I Jump City, Oasis bar and lounge I_

Liquid space time, an alien, a thing of thought made of six dimensional space. The worst thing, was not so much realizing the mirror was alive, so much as the knowledge that traveling along this path, transversing it's form was like sex to the thing. The fact phantoms of yourself, all the probable ways you could be, the multitude of eyes, stares, recriminations, exaltations, all the shadows of a life and existence lived again, and again, and again through the infinite stretch of probability stared back at you, all at once, all as one, really didn't need to be included.

Fee burst from the other side of the mirror, desperately desiring nothing so much as a bath in the fires of Hell, but Jinx's state pulled her back to the moment, the magic mirror forgotten.

She sat, legs somewhat akimbo on the concrete floor, the sounds familiar, the smells familiar, all of it fitting too well together. What worried Fee was the outline of the girl, the soul she could see. It was... wrong. Something inside the mirror had damaged the girl, and it was getting worse. The edging, the portion of her vitality she could sense seemed to be echoing, resonating apart.

Her voice had an odd reverberation, something about it chilled the succubus, "Did I really go there, was it a dream?" Her pink eyes looked up at Fee, and the uncertainty in them stung her. "What just happened?"

The demoness knelt by Jinx and hugged her gently, smoothing her hair back and nodding, rocking the confused girl slightly. "Yes, it happened little one. That mirror is disconcerting, and I believe your friend Joe owes you somewhat of an explanation after this."

Her eyes, the slits in them narrowing, as her lips worked, words lost as her breath would not come, sobs wracking her slight form, the day crashing into her. The jolt of the travel through the mirror, all of it just one thing too much.

Fee wrapped her arms around the young one, and rocked slowly, unsure what to do. She made small comforting sounds and bit her lip to be quiet.

Jinx stilled, her tears drying as she recollected her broken thoughts. "I hate that mirror. I hate this place, this room, this time, this everything. I hate it, how it's all bent, broken feeling." Her words turned to a hiss as she spoke, the reverberation in Fee's ears making her vision cross, blur.

The pale witch stood, backing away from Fee and swaying on her feet unsteadily. "I hate it. How I try, and it feels so futile." Her eyes were closed, and she clawed at the air and something inside the demoness screamed at her to run, to flee.

Instead she reached out, the jolt feeling like ice when she touched, twined her fingers with Jinx's. "Hey, don't go in there, come back. Jinx... it's not like that. You know it's not, people care and will be there to help you. To be with you." She looked down and though something inside her bled at it, the next words had to be said, "and your Raven. Don't forget her."

The feline nodded, closing her eyes as the room settled into her mind more easily. _That thing well and proper fucked me up, no wonder Fee hates it. Why is she here? What the hell is going on?_

"Fee, why are you here? What happened?" When the succubus looked away, face troubled, Jinx sighed, shaking her head. "When you're able, tell me. Just feel like so much is spiraling down, out of my control." She flexed her fingers, the feeling of cobwebs trailing along them making her brows furrow.

The demoness nodded, standing and dusting off her dress as she stood by the young witch. "I can... stay here, if you like. In the club, as I'm used to, so as not to be a bother." She stilled at Jinx's incredulous stare.

"What happened back there? With the envelope?"

Fee blinked, still unused to one being unaffected by her direct gaze. "In a way, I was fired."

Jinx massaged her temples and took a deep breath, shaking the cobwebs all lose finally as she stared at the door before her, hesitating. _It wasn't even a day since I was here last, so much, so soon._ The whole of it seemed to drop on her and she staggered, jerking along her axis suddenly.

She closed her eyes as the world felt like it was breaking, shattering along the transverse, the back coming loose from the mirror and spreading out behind it, an infinitive of trapped images between the slivers of her perceptions.

The succubus shuddered as she watched Jinx shiver in an out of existence. "Jinx... Jennifer!" She screamed, the sound bowing the walls and door out before the plaster exploded inward, the wood and supports crashing in from the recoil of the sound. She slipped to the floor herself, hands trailing up to her head and coming away black and sticky, before darkness claimed her.

Jinx spun in on herself, the debris from Fee's scream missing her as the roof of the warehouse bar collapsed in on the room they were in. She was vaguely aware of Fee, bleeding her demon's blood out on the floor, her own self suspended in the dust, vague, indistinct, an afterimage from a flash bulb on the air.

_Who am I?_ Her mind replayed flashes of her childhood, the sound of playing, attempting to play a toy piano shivering the images loose from her perception. _I am Jennifer Wrangler, the one who perceives is merely one perception of many_. Images of herself, from other's minds, other eyes played back to her. A mad, raving child, empowered with useless force bolts; The image from Robin. She spun through others, a universe of mirrors before her. Kind, soft, gentle, but frightening, powerful; Fee's mind, direct and open, the innocence of a one dimensional soul. She vaulted along the windows, seeking. There. She stared at a mirror, herself undistorted. She watched a smile, a dusting of sunlight on her sleeping face. Mysterious, warm, precious, vital. Mine. Raven's mind. Mine, she repeated to herself, a smile as she found herself, the sum of and space between the perceptions, the internal, central Jinx and the external.

_Where am I?_ The sea opened up before her, a tower in the shape of a "T" bordering the beach, sentinel to the ocean beyond. The city rolled out from behind it, as she looked for it, existing as she sought it out. Jump City, my city. A shadow fell on it, and she saw the four eyes of Trigon light the streets in fire, and knew rage. _My city, and in it, none shall take what I do not give_. Disregarding the hesitations, the anxiety and difficulty of the trials to corral the mob bosses, some voice spoke these words, and the Jinx that was at once herself and observing herself agreed.

_What am I?_ The world shuddered and broke under her gaze, a mad tangle of stings, impossible in number stretching off from every person, everything on the earth, and as they collapsed, fell, dissolved, she was there, dancing along the strings, playing the world like a harp with her wicked claws. _This is not me._  
But it is, it can be. Will you dance, the drum of endings is beating in your chest, will you dance it's song?  
_Why, why should I destroy when I can simply be?_  
Why not destroy, if that is the purpose of your being?  
_And if I deny that being, and chose another path, one that creates, one that does not tangle fates into chaos?_  
Then I will do so without you.

_What am I doing, here?_ She stared at herself, the image inverted. Pink slashes in nightmare black irises, her hair a tangle of ink around her shoulders, all of the shadows luminous, violet. The image blinked as she did, making her want to reach out and claw the eyes from the thing before her.  
_Who?_  
I am you.  
_You are not Jinx_  
I am what you are.  
_You are not what I will be._  
I am, what you always were.  
_I refuse you, to be made into this._  
Choice was never a gift given to you  
_I will make this choice, despite everything._  
Then you will be, as I will be, for I already am.

_Is this what I am?_ She shimmered, both images, before they snapped back into one, and Jinx fell to the floor.

Joe and his entourage broke through the hall and debris, the image of Jinx and her negative double staring at them with blank eyes before leaning into one another, the edges impossible and blurring as they merged. "What the bleeding hell was that?" He managed before scanning the floor and seeing all that was there. "Shit! Harris, a stretcher, call Brant, get him here, and also... fuck who can I call for this?"

He stared at the black blood seeping from the woman as she shuddered, a shaft of iron beam having slashed her along the temple cruelly. _Black blood, she's a demon. And there's Jinx, barely breathing, and this room blown the hell apart, and what the fuck is going on here?_

Feeling a sense of foreboding wash over him he called the only number he knew would matter in the least right now, dreading what he would be needing to say in the next few minutes.

"Mr. Wrangler... yes. It's Joe. There's been an accident."

_I San Francisco, _Luella's_ restaurant I_

"Jennifer, Jenny, wake up honey," She heard the voice, familiar and warm, and coiled away from it. I am not a thing meant to be warmed.

"You have to wake up, Jenny," the voice broke, and she felt warmth stinging her skin. Her cheek burned. She blinked her eyes open suddenly and stared at the voice, the outline of blue, grey around the man she remembered as father.

"Hey," She managed and winced, the reflex to cough barely calmed, her chest feeling like it was made of broken glass.

The elder Wrangler stared at his daughter, shaken a moment by her eyes when she'd suddenly blinked awake from her unconsciousness. _They... were wrong. Black with violet slits, backward, just wrong_, he thought to himself, his hands moving the girl's cotton candy hair from delicate features.

The 'woman' in the bed beside his daughter stirred, murmuring in her sleep. Jinx looked to her, expression softening, "Fee... is she ok?"

William ran a hand through his hair and shrugged, not knowing what to say. "She was injured when Joe arrived, but she's... difficult to understand, we-"

"She's a demon, I know. Undo this thing," she pointed to a strap on her hand and William's lips thinned, his mind telling him, screaming "no" to him as his hands loosed the restraint on the girl. She stood shakily and lurched into the demon's bed, her weight falling on the railing they'd raised on either side to keep the unusual woman in place.

"Sorry if this doesn't work, Fee," She mumbled, peeling back the tar-soaked looking bandage along her head with shaking hands, wincing as she saw bone shining form the deep wound. Closing her eyes she laid her hands along the cruel injury, trying not to think, not to think of anything, not of the feel of her blood seeping between fingers or the cold pallor of once warm skin.

Flames licked around her fingers and William watched, horrified as his daughter stood, arms engulfed in black and blue flame, the edges dripping and scoring the material of the bed, the sheet and mattress simply ceasing to be as the flames touched them.

And then Fee gasped and sat up suddenly, spilling Jinx into the floor. Her hands went to her temple and came back clean, the wound gone, barely a hint of her ichorous blood on honey hair.

"Hellfire," Jinx, mumbled, sleepily from the floor. Her head lolled to the side, and she was asleep again in moments.

They sat in silence for long minutes, the father and the demoness. He stood finally and fetched his daughter back into her bed, settling her with many a glance to those black stained hands that healed a demon, before turning to the door, his head shaking slowly, never turning to look at the demon, but Fee knew the words were meant for her. "I don't know what's going on. But you should be gone when she wakes next." His voice was cold, iron. "I understand she may count you friend, and I have no idea, nor do I care to understand, why she can heal you."

"You will be gone from this place when I return."

Fee stared at her hands, from behind lidded eyes, feeling again, the second time in as many days the urge she'd not had for centuries before. The urge to weep.

Fee nodded numbly and closed her eyes tightly, wondering what precisely had happened, to her, Jinx. She would wait some time, as when she woke with a start half an hour later, Jinx was missing, and she was alone in the house restaurant, the door to the room ajar and her things in a neat stack on the chair by her bed.

Feeling lost and uncertain in an unfamiliar city, she none the less knew where to go, to wait. Black wings carried her to the crenelation of the building across from the one she felt was correct. Knew was correct. Demonic nature let her slip along the sides like a shadow, lending her stealth as she perched, a sardonic smile on her lips as the grimacing stone beast beside her stood sentinel as she did.

The darkened room sat dormant across from Fee, as she settled her wings to a pose like her company. Jinx's room. She would wait, and she would return.

_My Mistress will return_. Even demons can have faith.

_I Los Angeles, Firestone Blvd and Elm. I_

The world shivered, air distending uncomfortably as it retreated, fled from a form that burst out of nothingness into being there. A small reverberation of air, as it escaped the sudden existence amid it's space bowed windows and set of car alarms for a city block, as Jinx opened her eyes, the pink of her pupils narrow in the early morning as she surveyed the street before her.

Her reentry from bending the fabric of the world, pinching it along it's delicately threaded concepts of causality, probability had fractured the ground around her as the air had fled. Jinx smirked, the small crater about her feet testament to her existence. It was a pleasing thing. Steady hands, black nails long and sharp neatly cut through the envelope still clutched in one hand.

The thing that rode Jinx, that was her as much as the laughing, sun-loving and joyous girl that usually wore this form, didn't need the mundane directions. She could feel _him_. The matrix of his being apparent, the order of it like the light that cast her in relief to the world. The being she sought, that her collective self sought was near.

Music from a house across the way caught her ear, and in a pealing voice that was half nails on chalkboard, half siren's seduction she sang, a haunting tune, better suited to describe a nightmare, or a fall from grace. Making light of the somber lyric, she danced a little as the streets passed, little more than a sway and a sashay, but her expression told volumes.

Neon-shot black eyes scanned the paper, read the address off the card, and how it was written, an sardonic smirk on her dusky features.

Jinx spun about in place once, and walked backwards toward the corner of Elm and Firestone, the pavement shifting around her feet as she did so. As she walked, her smile widened, the world rippling about her.

_Soon, it will all be done. Soon, so soon. _

Impossibly, she skipped as she moved, a movie played in reverse as the road stretched and snapped into place, a dizzying trick of vision as she passed the border to the small cul de sac in reality that housed her goal.

The structures by Jinx impossibly raced forward and filled the perspective between the two buildings beside it. It was the illusion you see between two things, too close together, of distance when you peer from between cracked eyelids. A building, stately and old while being clean and proper rose between the brick and terracotta of the buildings surrounding it, contrast and complement to the world and things around it.

Strains of piano wafted on the air from within, and the door opened slightly, a woman, face half hidden in a mask peered out at her.

Jinx turned, her inverse eyes and features smiling wickedly at the sign over the door, welcoming her in.

"Found you," she crooned in a sing-song voice, skipping up to the door and sketching a curtsy to the woman there, who stared back her her icily.

The 'woman' her one visible eye's brow furrowing beckoned her within, the sound of piano clearing, becoming richer inside the rather nice, but empty establishment. It reached a crescendo and halted, the sound of the key guard gently placed down punctuating the sudden silence. She giggled at the whispers along the walls, the air speaking small things to her.

A blonde man, tall and perfect stood from behind his piano, and walked with a steady pace to greet her. Jinx waited, there by the door as he approached, knowing she was being analyzed, assessed.

"Welcome to Lux, and my home."

Jinx grinned, her features slipping back to their normal states, pink eyes and hair framing a triumphant face as she held out a hand, the stately man taking it with a slightly raised brow at her sudden change in appearance. She flickered, static on the the soap film of reality and they exchanged a bow.

"Lucifer, it's been hell trying to find you." Jinx's voice wavered like a radio station going out of range.

"You have no idea how many times I hear that, actually."

_I Titan Tower, Mid Morning I_

Impossible black eyes, opening in the sky above her, the slit pupils a violet that was the noise behind the face of the universe startled Raven from sleep, and she blinked, the shadows in her room catching at the corners of her vision slightly.

The Titan looked about slowly, clearing the image from her mind with a violent shake of her head, before flopping back down, letting her breath become even again.

What was that? Eyes closed, she thought back to the dreams, peaceful she'd had that night. She started again and looked with stolen breath at her bedside clock.

10:39 am, it dourly blinked back at her.

Raven scrabbled around her bed for the cell phone she feared was forgotten on the roof, before finding it, the unyielding plastic bruising her thigh as she cast about. Rubbing at her new bruise, she searched through the call list and finding the only call was the one from last night, frowned.

She's not called back, her mind whispered. I hope she's alright.

Sorting herself and calming a sudden anxiety, Raven minced across the cold floor to the shower, disrobing from her wrinkled and sleep-creased uniform.

The mirror showed her a woman, one that would earn that title in more than appearance soon. Violet hair swept from high on her neck, down to her chin. It'd drape accented the curve of her face, gentle if lacking the smile lines, even the faint traces of frowning there. She looked carved of porcelain. Her body was trim and lithe, owing to her heritage, and life as a Titan. Raven idly analyzed herself, the comparisons to her companions mechanical. Her body was less pronounced than Starfire, who was not only taller, but also proportional to that height. Terra on the other hand, was slighter, and less developed than the dark Titan. Thinking to Jinx, she surmised the two of them complemented, the young witch taller, but filling out more delicately, while Raven's bust was more pronounced, her hips swept wider. The thoughts, images she'd not known were so indelibly etched, sent a slight blush spreading from the rise of her breasts up her neck at the memory.

The tattoo spell was arching along her shoulders now, the branches from her legs nearly making a flattering pattern across her gently swept hips. Raven stared long at them, the doom they represented settling on her, as it did every morning, with cold certainty.

_And when he comes, these things will make me a portal. I will be annihilated in the spell, the force of magic inside me turning inward, summoning him in blood and familiarity of that bond of his influence on me... in me. As a father._

She shuddered, feeling as if some spike of ice pierced her from her stomach. She banished it with hot water, stepping into the stall and scrubbing at her skin viciously, till her normally pale skin practically glowed from the abrading.

It was almost noon as she stumbled, feeling drained already, into the Tower common room. The feeling something was wrong wouldn't leave her alone, but no amount of concentration, seeking the source would avail her.

She stepped into the kitchen and started making some tea, the other Titans silently taking note of her in their own time, through their normal routines or activities. Terra watched the other girl, and something struck her wrong.

Raven had worn her cloak about her for days, tied up and held tight as if to ward of the tattoos they'd all seen, in time. They guessed, or found out from her what they were. Today though she wore simple long shorts, possibly just large boxers and a T-shirt, a promo one for a macabre Alice in Wonderland game. Her tattoos, the marks on her skin occasionally pulsed and the girl flinched, or stared at a shaking hand blankly.

Terra watched her a moment, then eyed the other Titans, her expression darkening slowly. The blonde girl slapped her magazine down on the table, startling the others and marched into the kitchen area.

She came up behind Raven, breaking the Teen's normally held distance from the others and pulled her into a hug, something none of them had ever done.

Everyone stared, and the look of mild shock on Raven's face lasted a few moments until it dissolved, her hands wrapping around Terra and clutching at her shoulders, her words too quiet for the other Titans to hear.

"I'm so scared. Terra I'm so scared..." head bowed, the dark Titan leaned against the other girl, her facade of calm breaking down in the wake of all the anxiety, worry over her future, the Jinx's disappearance, sudden visit and now that damn call...

The other Teen simply held her, rocking her slightly and whispering reassurances over and over. When the water boiled, she helped Raven with her tea and the two set off for the hallway leading to the rooms, the other Titans oddly alienated, again as Raven's emotions came to the fore.

* * *

A/N: I'm frustrated in not being able to write Raven well recently. I've come to the conclusion, that much like Rei Ayanami, her basic force of personality is directed via external influence, rather than internal strength. She has little personal motility, as the GO! form relates, and is one dimensional in print. This doesn't allow me much... play, while remaining in character well. So I have her reactive to extremes. It's tiring. 

She will likely be going OOC, in small ways soon. It's either that, or let the fic die. I cannot continue this one sided, as it was planned.

Reference points:

1) Zatanna's particular method of spellcasting is by voicing commands in inverse.  
2) Lucifer visiting via his own DC title, Lucifer's bar is named Lux, and is located in Los Angeles. Yes, who else does one go to with demon trouble, other than the management. Jinx has always been a very direct person, so in handling something out of her league, she would of course go to the highest person on that food chain. Just so happens he's readily available. Foreshadowed allusion by use of the word Demiurge intended.  
3) Inversion of Jinx is unprecedented. Author device as best I can remember.  
4) Fee is my creation, but not an insert. I'm neither blonde, a demon, have gold eyes, or nearly as nice as she.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Fuck ownership. Original things are mine, the rest is not. **

* * *

When given all that you want, when faced with the reward for all your efforts, will you be able to reach out simply and grasp that ideal? Or will you hesitate, knowing that in achieving the culmination of your life, all that lies ahead is uncertainty?

* * *

_**Act Three: In Darkest Night**_

**Chapter Fourteen**

_I Titan Tower, Saturday Midday I_

The small table by Raven's bed wasn't the best coffee table, but it managed for the most part. Terra sat beside her teammate and friend and tried to help, tried to comfort her as she could.

'I guess the problem is, how do you comfort someone who's girlfriend has gone missing for a day, and who may be dying on her birthday in about a week...' Terra sighed and ran a hand along the cloaked back of the girl settled beside her, staring quietly, unseeing into her tea. 'I totally know how to pick my fights, yep.'

Raven sniffed a bit, her lip quirking at the corner. "You know, contact makes empathy work a lot better, right?"

The blonde Titan blinked a bit until she gasped, unconsciously drawing her hand away from Raven's back. "Sorry, I wasn't..." Resigning herself to sitting quietly by the other girl, she lapsed into silence.

"Hey, it's alright. I wasn't trying to be mean. I know, better than you may think, how hard it is to be around me," With that the violet haired girl smiled and wrapped her friend in a hug. "Sorry, didn't mean to get weird. Force of habit."

Terra laughed a bit and sighed, relieved. "Hey, well at least the tea is awesome. What kind do you use? I never looked at the box."

Raven explained over the remainder of her tea how she made the particular Chamomile blend that was practically a trademark of hers. Small things defined the day, the nervousness over that afternoon, the worry over Jinx pushed to the side for a moment.

It wasn't that she didn't want to the think about the girl. She just needed the mental downtime, a pause in the whirlwind of her life. It wouldn't last long, she knew. It was Saturday after all. Her date was tonight. An urge to see a clock swept through the Titan and Raven turned violet eyes to the timepiece on the wall of the rec room.

"Three o'clock... I should start getting ready." She stood just as the intercoms crackled awake in a small hiss of static.

Robin's voice, tinny and distant echoed around the room, "Local informants say that a big timer just showed up in town, a Matches Malone, so keep your communicators on hand, everyone."

The blonde teen groaned and flopped onto the couch, kicking at the cushions in frustration. "Why? It was going to be a quiet weekend too!"

The Dark Titan grinned and fluffed the whining girl's hair, much to her annoyance. "Easy answer there, because it was going to be a quiet weekend." Ducking the pillow Terra tossed her way, Raven started on her way to get ready.

"I may not have heard from you, may not know what you're doing... but I trust you, Jinx." Closing her eyes, she opened to door to her room and looked around, eyes casting over the things, mementos she'd collected in her time with her team, with the Titans. "Please don't let me down."

_I Los Angeles, Lux I_

"... and when I snap my fingers, well you get the idea."

_Click._

Jinx blinked and sniffled, the air around her smelling old and dusty. Pink eyes glanced around taking in the room and the person near her. The room was cramped, if it could truly be called a room rather than a closet and it was full to the brim with oddities, books and dust. She carefully took in details, having very little memory of how or why she was here, and her gaze finally settled on a blonde man sitting across from her with a somewhat sardonic look upon his face. "Well well, that worked far better than planned, don't you agree, Mazikeen?" Despite the somewhat cynical cast to his features, his voice seemed melodic, if one could call it that. She pictured a chorus of glasses, windows shattering, the cacophony of the shards striking the ground setting the cadence for his voice.

The confused teen's eyes darted to side where a shadow, moving suddenly resolved itself to being a woman, a mask covering half her features and obscuring her expression partially. "Aye bereef sho, may rhoard."

Taking a deep breath, Jinx leaned back in her chair and counted to ten in her mind. 'Yeah, dunno where the hell I am, but yeah. Creepy.' Her thoughts were interrupted by her host, at least she hoped to be able to call him that, speaking to her in that liquid drawl again.

"Well, it would seem that everything is working as planned, perhaps more so that expected," a grin slipped across his face, and she could think of nothing more appropriate to do than slide back slightly in her chair. Something about this man was wrong, fundamentally wrong. "Tch, no need to be coy, Miss Wrangler; our business is only beginning. I simply snapped you out of a small... problem you were having earlier, upon arriving.

"Sadly it seems to have erased your most recent memory, so let me recant a few of the high points." Smiling expansively, his hair glinting in the low light behind him and casting a halo about his head, she regardless felt nothing but a tight knotting in her gut around him. His conversational, almost familiar tone did little to comfort he pink haired teen, and Jinx still had no idea where she was, or how she arrived there.

Blinking again, confused by his words and the implications, Jinx couldn't stifle her curiosity any longer, "Who... who are you, anyway, and what am I doing here?"

She cringed when he laughed, the sound pealing around the walls and bookshelves in the small nook room unpleasantly. "My my, perhaps there were some unforeseen... side effects to bringing you around as I did. Hrm," the man across from her seemed to ponder this line of thought briefly before laying his hands along the top of the table, fingers spread. "Then, lets start where things should. What do you remember, last?"

Her head lowered as she considered that, and she looked to her hands in alarm. Pale, clean skin greeted her panicked gaze, and the memory of slick demon blood faded slowly into her mind. "I had... I pushed myself to invert my usual talents to heal someone. A demon."

"Your usual talents being entropy and probability, correct?" A nod was his only answer. "Then let me explain something that may shed a bit of understanding on the situation," standing without preamble, the blonde moved to a nearby bookshelf, to retrieve a rather used looking tome.

As he did, the feline noted his state of dress, and pondered it a moment. _Who is he, and why does he set me on edge so? I mean, sharp suit aside, he just doesn't seem the sort to deal with me, but apparently we have some business..._ Realization seared through her mind as she considered recent events, and the possible people she could or would have sought out, and was seeking, for any kind of business. "You're... Lucifer?"

A slight smirk, more a half grin but with his features, everything seemed to have a slightly cruel twist, lit his features a moment. "Ah, so you regain some memory, excellent." Returning to the table and the pink haired teen's incredulous stare, the stately man spread the book out before her. "And here you may find some answers, for why you sought me out."

There before her was a picture, although grossly stylized, of a demon with horns adorning his head, four slashes for eyes and the wasteland of his making spread out around him. The text of the book seemed to writhe and squirm, and it took some time for Jinx to finally read the entry there.

_Trigon was born of the cursed pairing of a cast off god and a clergy of the order of Azarath.  
The being, unrestrained by the forces normally governing the laws of their dimension, became  
a focus; an outlet for the negative impulses seemingly cast off by the idyllic society._

_Many would blame the heinous act of his mother for conceiving him to be the sin of his  
founding evil, but in truth, the blame was upon Azarath itself. The denial and foolishness of  
their attempts to contain the evil in their own hearts only gave it substance. Over the stretch  
of time, like many cultures, the tainted ideal was given personification, and with it, was  
empowered with a will. The force that would become Trigon, it could be argued, was truly  
born of their conceit._

_The beast has a form and mind, but it ruled by an unquenchable rage and hatred, it's soul  
driven by the nature of it's creation. A being born of the cast-off refuse of a world's psyche,  
Trigon is neither a natural creature, nor one of any order known. It is an anomaly. _

Her initial interest in the passage seemed to wane as she finished, finally concluding with a crestfallen expression. "But then... he's a demon, but he's not? I thought all demons were... well you know!" Jinx gestured in the air vaguely, trying to conjure the words that were taunting her. "Their own being, the counter to angels, something like that. That's why I came here!"

Lucifer sat across from the animated girl, observing her distress. "I see. You know surprisingly little of your enemy, but I can applaud your courage in finding me, to learn." Again, the man smirked, his face simply falling into that pattern out of long habit, Jinx realized. "I suppose there's none other that could instruct you better in the knowledge of their kind.

"But first let me clear up a few things... that should be explained, before we begin with wild suppositions, shall I?" Propping an elbow on the table, he leaned indolently, cheek resting there. "I am no demon; nor do I rule hell, nor do I fulfill any of the trifling inanities the mortal coil seems intent on labeling me with.

"I am. I have been, for as long as there was time." Pausing, he met her gaze, liquid blue eyes against pink. "Make no mistake, you came here almost at the forfeit of your life. I do not suffer the company of fools well," smiling suddenly he straitened, meeting the girl's sullen gaze directly. "Not that I suggest you are one. But your... course of action seems very badly planned, at best."

Jinx snorted, flipping an errant strand of hair behind an ear, "If I had time to come up with a better one, trust me, I'd be taking the easier route." Sobering somewhat, she continued, her tone softer, "but, she does mean a lot to me. More than any other person really has, I guess. It was that important."

Blonde hair nodded at her from across the table. "I understand. I also... appreciate you finding me." Smiling broadly, he gestured to the walls and himself. "In truth, it was quite opportune, you see. In trade for something simple, that under current conditions, you should never miss, I can gain precious knowledge and insight into my own plans, and in thanks, I will assist in any way I can; barring direct influence. In that I am... how shall I say? Limited."

Brown furrowing, the young woman considered his words carefully. "Right. I guess... first things first. Why don't I remember coming here?" This question burned her, as she remembered finally where and what it was she was in. Los Angeles was a long way from home, and frankly, she owned no magic mirrors. Something else was wrong here, and it had nothing to do with fallen angels.

Lucifer regarded his shadowed companion and motioned her closer. "Some tea, if you please, Mazikeen, and see that no one disrupts me. This could be some time in the explaining to Miss Wrangler."

The woman bowed, "Aye, may rhoard," she answered simply, and moved from view.

"First, I suppose that your friend, the wounded demon would have somewhat to do with it," the man offered, tapping a finger along his jaw consideringly. "You see, demons aren't so much individual beings, like you and other mortals. Their individuality is born of the nature of the soul. Demons, technically, aren't so much soulless, as only the stuff of it."

Biting her lip, Jinx nodded slowly. "So... they're more like, well, ghosts for lack of a better word?"

The man nodded once, gesturing to show it was a conceded point, "Somewhat, yes and no. They are resonations of the universe, that are strong enough to gain their own form. Although, the ideal and mechanism for this are fundamental to the universe, they aren't individual in that sense, like mortal beings."

"They're made of impressions on the universe?"

"Precisely," the angel before her conceded, smiling slightly. "The main difference between angels and demons, is the impulse that drives them. Among the primary components that differentiate them, are the constituent aspects of order and chaos. And well, the basic idea binding them to their creation. There are cruel angels, and kind demons... but I digress.

"I believe that being in direct contact with the blood of your friend, ignited the probable chaos inside you, which for a time ruled your being and led you here." He watched her expression darken, eyes going suddenly haunted with a memory and nodded. "I see you are aware of this aspect of yourself?"

Nodding in a distracted manner, she looked up at Lucifer with a harried look upon her features, "Do you know what's happening to me?"

Her host sighed expansively, and nodded. "I should find a way to sweeten my own part of this deal for all the information of unrelated topics we'll be discussing, but today you are a lucky girl, despite your moniker. I feel uncharacteristically generous.

"It is my belief," he continued, the rapt attention of Jinx upon him as he leaned thoughtfully against his palm, "that it is your deeper nature, countering your perceived nature, and the conflict therein."

Her brow furrowed and Jinx mirrored his pose. "Something like a repressed memory then? The reactions to it will surface, but the memory itself be hidden?" She leaned back, considering this. "So basically, I'm at odds with my growing abilities, and because I don't... well grasp them or accept some idea of them, they exert enough influence over me to 'take over', occasionally?"

"Lets not be droll, Miss Wrangler. I believe it to be more," the fallen angel paused, considering his words carefully. "I think it is more likely a manifestation of your desire to affect drastic change, beyond consequence, spurred on by your anxiety, but limited by your reason and restraint."

Rubbing at her temple lightly, she cocked her head at his explanation, "You make it sound as if I have a Jekyl and Hyde complex."

"I was actually, trying to be rather direct in that."

"Wonderful. So how to I stop it?"

Smiling, he accepted the cup of tea from the recently returned Mazikeen, regarding the girl before him with his face set in that ever present smirk. "I'd suggest you reconcile your natures, before they reconcile you."

"Great. I'll get right on that, once I clear my calendar after defeating the vastly and near omnipotent demon father of my would-be girlfriend."

"I believe that would be best, as you would likely fail to achieve balance before his arrival."

Shortly, they were deep in discussion, aided by the excellent tea the woman made, as she took up her place by the man's right side once again.

Frowning, Jinx pondered a point of the discussion and brought it back to the fore, "So, as demons weren't specifically created, but the means to create them was, what makes them?" Fearing her own guess at this could be correct, she none the less asked.

"Well, that should be quite obvious. The emotions, the existence of thinking things," Lucifer said simply, the teacup lending his voice an odd reverberation.

Jinx noted idly that he kept his last finger extended, jutting out foppishly as he sipped his tea and laughed quietly. When the fallen angel raised an eyebrow, she gestured and dismissed her own laughter. "Nothing, it's nothing. Ok, so then... what Trigon is, is in fact a demon." She counted points on fingers, head nodding each time. "He's the cast off, Jekyl and Hyde personality of an alien race," another point, another finger. "His particular mode and method seems to be rage and he could be using that to get through to Raven."

Nodding quietly at Jinx, the man let her continue her musing, curious what conclusions she'd make. "Next... I guess I have a strong tendency for chaos and entropy, and that calls to demons. Probably because they're heavily bound by that ideal themselves," she muttered, sipping some tea to calm her nerves. "I guess that would help explain a bit of that connection I have with Fee and Raven." She smiled despite herself, thinking of the pretty succubus and the object of her affections.

"Be that as it may, what can you surmise to do, with what you have, Miss Wrangler?" Lucifer spun the book to face him, flipping slowly among the pages as the youth across from him considered the question. Minutes passed and the fallen angel flipped back and forth between pages, occasionally looking up at the pink eyes, staring off in thought.

Her mouth worked slightly, as realization slowly creeped up her spine. "I... don't know. Nothing. I can't think of anything I can do." Jinx's pink hair draped around her cheeks as her chin drooped, expression darkening.

Shrugging slightly, the man laid the book down and spun it back toward her. "That is because, you don't have all the information you need," shrugging with that slight smirk along his lips again, Lucifer continued. "Let us say, that there must be a very concise series of events that must occur for Trigon to use the fair Raven in the way he intends." gesturing to the book, Jinx again read a passage, seeming tailored to the events she needed.

_Trigon was imprisoned by the actions of the remaining church of Azarath and Arella, his former  
lover. Of course, this was not to last, as a being of the scope Trigon held could not be contained  
indefinitely. Drawing on a the fundamental forces of the dimension he was imprisoned within, the  
demon turned his considerable power to breaking the boundaries between his prison, and freedom. _

_The forces that rule the essence of the demon gave him such a passage, that being it's one child,  
Rachel Roth, the daughter of Angela Roth, also known as Arella. The blood ties between the two  
would come to fruition upon the youth's eighteenth birthday, and the full realization of her powers.  
Those same powers inherited from her demon father, call to Trigon, and through a ritual spanning  
the life of the child, he will use the youth to break free of his prison._

_Manifesting as the Marks of Skath on the body of the girl, the ritual can only be halted by the death  
of the Roth child, cutting the demon free of any bonds outside of his prison dimension. Barring that,  
the extinguishing of the flame of Rage that fuels Trigon himself may be the only recourse._

The words sank into Jinx's mind, and a well of sadness threatened to overtake her, pulling her throat tight and aching within her chest with their weight. "There... no. There has to be another way." Sneering at the book she shoved it roughly, forcing Lucifer to lift his teacup to avoid it suffering an ignoble demise as the tome skidded off the small table. "I don't know where you do your shopping, but I'd suggest Barnes and Noble next time."

Laughing slightly, the man sat his cup back in it's saucer, his mirth building until he was fairly cackling across from the annoyed feline. "Splendid, absolutely splendid. I think you may be able to succeed in your goal yet, young lady." As he spoke, Mazikeen knelt and retrieved the precious book, placing it back upon the shelf it had rested on before, then took her place at his side once more.

"Um, am I missing something, or are you just kinda going of on your own over there without me?" Annoyance tinging her voice, the pink haired youth glared at her host and for a moment forgot who precisely it was, her eyes flashing dangerously, "I mean, it's great you're enjoying this, really! But I have things to do, a girlfriend so save, not to mention a date in oh, probably less time that I have to actually get back to her." Standing abruptly, she fought back a stinging in her eyes, the weight of the words in the book weighing on her still.

_Nevermind it! I don't care what some damned old antique says!_ Her resolve set, she marched past the still laughing man and brushing past his annoyingly silent shadow roughly, made her way for the door. _Forget this, I don't need it. I don't need some damn fallen fuckhead telling me this is a lost cause._ Spinning about she leveled her gaze, still brilliant with caged anger at the man, jerking the door open roughly. "I won't loose her. Not now."

She was nearly through the door when she realized he was siting in front of her again. Jinx was also sitting back in that chair, back at the table, back in the thrice-damned nook room. "What the hell!?"

"I'll forgive that outburst, considering the time and stress you've obviously went through, recently, to get your answers. And answers you shall have, with patience," she man stated, all mirth gone from his features now. "Understand, youth, that you have something I need. And I, something you need."

Jinx stared at him a moment and laughed quietly, shaking her head slightly. "What could I possibly have that you would need?"

Smiling to himself, the man traced a circle in the dust on the table idly, with a fingertip. "What do you know, of the concept of the Demiurge, Miss Wrangler?"

_I Titan Tower, Afternoon I_

Raven stood before her mirror, eyes dull as she scanned over her skin in the liquid sheen of the frame. The Marks had spread. Reaching black tendrils, vines sporting wicked claws and thorns burst from her skin and tangled along her limbs in a mad dance, twisting and arching for her heart, the small gem shining there as on her forehead a goal that seemed to call to the slinking, midnight colored tattoos.

Soon they'd reach their goal. Soon those inky, one dimensional tendrils will converge, find their target. And then they'd be less the scribbles of a mad god, and more the fingers he flexed to make her a portal, a gateway to pass through and wreak his hatred and vengeance on all creation.

Her mind lingered on the images, on the retelling of the prophesy. How the Marks were a manifestation of Trigon's will, fueled by her demon blood, his blood. Words came unbidden to her mind, the retelling, foretelling of how this spell would play out.

The Marks would converge as the moon peaked into full darkness, new and black, in the sky of her birthday.

Writhing free of her body, they'd anchor to the stuff of time and space, and in one great impulse, her father's will would rip her into a mass of blood and flesh, weave the still living mass of her body into the spell, and from that gruesome sigil he'd pass, born again into a reality to prey on.

Sighing, she ran a weary finger along the curve of one Mark, trying to imagine a world where she didn't have the looming threat of death ahead of her. And not only her own...

Cringing a bit, she purged the images of her friends, her allies, everyone at the mercy of Trigon.

She tried again, as she did every time her image greeted her in a mirror, to suppress the guilt that welled up inside her. Knowing how she was little more than the doomsday clock for this world.

Or any world.

Soon midnight would chime, and it would be with her dying screams, that some world's apocalypse would be heralded.

What truly frightened her, and she carried this secret so deep and buried inside her that not even facets of her own self knew all of it... was that she wanted that damnation sometimes.

Every time she put her worthless life on the line, for some innocent only to have them spit in her face and scream witch, or devil-child. Each time she witnessed some atrocity, some damnable proof that the human race was a despicable excuse for a people, a society. It was her shame, but it was her, fundamental and truth. She was her father's daughter, despite all she tried to do to change that consequence. Sin calls to sin, and there was so much sin in this world...

Shaking the morbid thoughts from her mind, Raven reached out and spun the dials of her shower, water blasting free against the walls suddenly.

Warm water coursed over pale skin as Raven gave into her weary sadness, her tears mixing with the water as it swirled around her feet, and finally into eventual oblivion.

Raven spent at least an hour under the spray, eyes and thoughts unfocused as she tried to overcome her building melancholy for her date with Jinx.

_Jinx_, her heart sped up slightly at the mere thought of her name. _Such a guilty pleasure I take in this_, the dark Titan mused, soap clinging to her form outside the spray. _And to think, I don't even know how we'll work. We barely know each other. Am I sane, to get so tied up, broken inside over that crazed girl?_

She knew something fundamental was shifting inside her, knew it revolved around the pink cat's eyes of the former Hive member. The telling reactions of her emotions spoke loud enough, and despite her own hesitance to let herself feel, to let that doorway open and possibly give her father more footing...

_Why bother? Why now?_ She sneered at the slight reflection of herself in the glass of the door. "Fucking lot of good, all those years of training, meditation, aestheticism have done me. What do I gain? More like what did I lose... So much time. So much life, thrown away."

"For nothing!!" She screamed, and the tiles around her shuddered, the force of her voice rocking the stall in the building itself. "For... nothing. He comes anyway. He'll kill me despite it all. All my life, for nothing..."

Bitterness, anger swelled up in her and she scraped suddenly wicked talons along the tiles, the ceramic smoking in their passage. "I gained nothing. I lost, will lose everything." Her anger fled as quickly as it came, and she spent the remainder of the hot water curled up with her knees below her chin, sitting in the cascade and staring blankly as the water rushed away to blackness.

Raven felt drained rather than revitalized after the shower, and with an hour to spare, she went about making herself pretty. Grinning slightly, a shadow over he features, something gave way inside the Titan in that moment, looking up into her mirror at a sullen, hollow-eyed teen reflected there.

"I'm so tired of this. Living to die. Sleeping to practice for it. Feeling doom with every breath." Sweeping her hand along the surface of the dresser, she cleared it of books and papers and writing implements. Leaning forward, she stared intently at herself.

Her lips quirked slightly as she pulled a dusty purple case free from the confines of her closet, and set to work.

The main room was still as Terra and Beast Boy watched some music videos playing that afternoon, the other Titans scattered about the Tower in various activities. Robin and Starfire were in the kitchen, sharing some quiet time, trying to feel out the boundaries of their own burgeoning feelings, while Terra and the changeling simply enjoyed one another's company. It was comfortable, Cyborg decided, coming into the room finally.

Life moved on. It kept moving on, despite everything that came at it. His mind flashed to the revelation that Raven had dropped on them the other week, and he shook his head. They'd win, they had to.

No one would lose a friend over some stupid prophecy. Not him, and certainly not the Titans. Trigon may be some interdimensional crazy, but he was messing with the wrong people, this time.

It was nearing half past five when they heard footsteps, and scanning around to each other and seeing everyone but Raven present, the collected Titans found themselves witness to something they'd never seen before.

There before them, in a navy blue evening dress shot with twinkling threads mimicking the night sky, was Raven. Her hair was done with the left side fixed over her ear, a pretty blue and silver clip in the shape of a subtle butterfly resting there, the right side free and caressing her cheek and chin. The cut of the dress was very flattering, the neck dipping below her collar to show just enough of the rise of her chest to entice but not display, while the deeply swept back revealed her shoulders and lower back to all who would see, the material meeting again just above the small of her back. The high cut skirt settled along her thighs, one side higher than the other and dipping to a point on her left, draping below her knee with the hem's silver lace, painting a complement to her hair subtly.

The effect was stunning. Moving into the light they saw she'd worn low heels of same color as her dress, and there was a light dusting of shadow and glitter below her eyes, while a deep blue, all gloss and sheen, settled on her lips. The only thing that marred the effect was the arching, writhing bandwork of tattoos that seemed to originate from wrist and ankle, twining around her limbs in a graceful yet wicked looking dance. Somehow, even they paled compared with the glow the young woman before them held, expectation in her eyes and a smile threatening to break free of those sapphire lips at any time.

"Rae... wow," Cyborg muttered as she passed, and to his surprise, she not only smiled openly, but blushed at his obvious admiring of her.

She spun once, out in the light, and stood, awaiting judgment. "So guys, what do you think?"

For a moment, no one dared speak or move, then as one they all settled around the dark Titan, and were graced with her low laughter. At once embarrassed and flattered by her friends attention, Raven was glad of this night. Glad to have left her cares in her room, in the shower, elsewhere, if only for tonight.

Starfire was the first to regain her senses, and her joy was apparent in the lilting tone of her voice, "Oh, Friend Raven, how pretty... who is the bearer of the night's luck?"

"Yeah, wow, that's like the most pretty I've ever seen you-" Beast Boy squeaked, while a tight lipped Terra stood beside him, the arm nearest him moving slowly back into place. "I mean, you're really pretty, is all. Yeah..."

Smirking slightly, the blonde came up and settled a stray strand of hair from Raven's face, noting the signs of much crying under the makeup and mask of happiness. "Going to give her a run for it tonight hmm?" Smiling more genuinely, she lightly hugged the dark Titan, surprising the others for the second time that night.

"Yeah, she's going to need some heavy duty Raven repellent to keep me in line tonight," she quipped, her slight droll making the comment almost a threat. Terra laughed with her and the two shared a smile, before Raven answered their questions, all the chatter between her and Terra setting off the group like a bank of fireworks.

She spared them fifteen minutes, before excusing herself, stating she had to be waiting at six for her date. The Titans all watched as she strode to the windows and simply phased through, gliding down to the bay-side dock across from the tower; the night sky her personal promenade this night.

It was maybe three minutes later that Robin started, and stared after the place Raven had left via, the windows giving away nothing of her passing. Terra and Beast Boy had joined the others at the table, and it was the blonde geomancer that grinned and nodded at their leader.

"Oh, so you noticed huh?" She purred, chin resting in her hand as the Boy Wonder's brow furrowed.

Nodding, he simply stood and went to pace around the main room, Starfire's gaze locked on him for many minutes. Unable to restrain her curiosity any longer the Tamaranian tugged on the blonde Titan's jacket, a quizzical expression painted on her orange features. "Terra, what has Robin so distressed?"

She glanced at Cyborg, who suddenly shook his head, a small grin on his face. Turning back to the bemused alien, she leaned forward conspirationally and whispered, "I don't think she had room to pack her communicator with that outfit, is all. I think Robin finally realized that."

Starfire's green eyes softened, and she smiled as well, knowing Robin's anxiety wasn't over the possibility of the Titans needing Raven for a mission so much as...

Raven possibly needing the Titans. Rising, she went to distract their harried leader, not wanting his worry to wash onto Raven on her return.

Terra, for her part, didn't really expect to see Raven that night. Time would tell if she'd be justified in that summation. Nudging her green part time conspirator in games and sometimes more personal pursuits, she nodded toward the couch and stood to slip in a game, something they could both play for a while.

Raven, the crisp October air curling around her arms and legs like the chill embrace of a long lost lover, drifted high above the bay, the salt air rousing her senses. She scanned the shoreline, her empathic reach easily making that range as she sought out anyone that felt like her companion for the night. It was still somewhat early, and Jinx was not there, yet.

Closing her eyes, the Titan fanned out her attentions, taking in the bay and growing still.

_I Lux, Los Angeles I_

Her shoulders slumped as the explanation her host outlined sank in. her mouth worked slowly, as her brain absorbed the details, the extravagant yet deceptively simple plan laid bare there on the table before her. "And... this will work?"

Face painted with a smile, Lucifer nodded once. "It will, but like all ministrations, attention must be paid to the details," he recounted, taking a small flask from his jacket and smiling at the girl before him. "And now... as per our bargain-"

"Wait just a moment," Jinx snapped, her hand coming up from where it had lazed at her side. Her host's eyes narrowed but she continued, his glare cowing her not at all. "I didn't come her for information, I came for a solution. Not a possibility; a certainty." When Lucifer stood, she did as well, her slight frame steady and unmoving despite the knowledge of who she faced.

The Morningstar's eyes were hard as he regarded the whelp of a human before him. He knew the plan laid out before her would work; provided she followed it closely. But the demand that the result be absolute was grating on his nerves. Despite the nature of his pathos, being questioned himself always set him on edge. "Impudence will not avail a solution, Miss Wrangler... I warn you. Do not test my patience."

Glaring back at him, the girl's image hazed, her color snapping slightly in the dim light of the room. "Seeing as I've never really been a big believer in authoritarian systems, the whole hierarchy of angels thing really doesn't impress me much," Smiling she softened her words before her host could take offense. "But really, Lucifer. She's important to me. I don't... trust, easy, and frankly, your track record is, well..."

"Suspect?" The blonde smirked, realizing he was indeed dealing with not only a will, but an intelligence with this youth.

Grinning, she nodded slightly. "Call me pragmatic, I'd rather have something concrete, considering your... fee."

"You should know, there is no certainty in life, Miss Wrangler."

"Perhaps, but where we are dealing in life, it is not the totality of life itself we work with. Within that scope, certainty can be achieved, without unbalancing the entirety of experience."

Laughing quietly, the Morningstar conceded the point, sitting down and gesturing that Jinx should do the same. "Ah, but it is refreshing to deal with one at once so innocent yet cunning."

"Blame my mother. According to my father, Trigon would have a hellish time were they to meet." Smirking, she settled back into the chair, going over the details once more in her mind. "In know that it should work. Hell, it's impossible, that should be enough to convince me."

The Morningstar nodded, his attention on the table itself. "If you accept, which no doubt you should, given your options, I need to arrange a few things. I will need time, and it will be... taxing. I would begin sooner, rather than later."

Gazing quietly at the top of the table, Jinx closed her eyes, and nodded once. "I don't know why you find such interest in... what you want from me. Could I ask that?"

Laughing quietly, her host shook his head, pale locks swaying with the motion. "I am afraid, that in knowing, some aspect of your better judgment may force you to take a... noble stance."

"In other words, I'd rather not know."

"Probably not." That smirk was really starting to bother her.

Closing her eyes, she reached her hand out and sighed expansively. "Alright, fine. Lets make a deal, Mr. Devil sir. You get what you want, at the end of this little debacle, regardless of outcome. How does that sound?" Blinking suddenly mischievous eyes open, her Cheshire grin relighted her face and gave Lucifer a moment's pause. "This should be fun, don't you think?"

Laughing quietly, the first among the Fallen only smiled, taking the slim hand in his own. "Perhaps. I prefer to think of it as good business, but I suppose that qualifies as fun, Miss Wrangler."

Chuckling quietly at his wording, she shook her head slowly, "You know, you should get out more."

"Oh, I plan on it. I plan on it."

Jinx's eyes rested on her watch and she paled visibly. "Er. Well, could I um," laughing nervously, she bit her lip and looked back at her host nervously. "Don't suppose you have a magic mirror around here, do you?"

Quirking his lips, her host looked up to Mazikeen and nodded. "Show her to the Viewing room, and be sure she gets home safely, dear."

"Aye, may rhoard," the masked woman intoned, making the pink haired youth wonder if she knew many other phrases at all. Following her guide, she left the now preoccupied Lucifer to his preparations, going over in her mind again the gravity of the day's events.

_All things told, leaving the Hive has really broadened my horizons_, she mused.

As the two women left, the former Lord of Hell, smiled, shuffling the deck of cards he'd held in his pocket the entire conversation. "So, Basanos, what do you think of our young friend?"

_You have no friends, only servants, allies and enemies, Shaper_, The cards replied, the faces among the illustrated panels grim as they regarded him.

"Tsk, so negative... and to one so similar to yourselves. Who would guess one like she would step into the plan, and make it all so clear."

_There is no certainty that your gambit for a true Demiurge will succeed, Fallen_, the deck cautioned.

Grinning widely, the dapper man stood, pocketing the still partially unshuffled deck. "Now, you see that's why I never really subscribed to tarot divination, Basanos.

"You have no card for faith."

Above, in the halls that seemed to impossibly fit inside the cozy bar, Jinx followed her guide down nondescript passages and corner rooms large enough to hold gala balls. "How does this all fit... inside this small building," the youth wondered, eyes skimming along from one point of interest to another. She gazed for long moments at a statue.

It appeared to be chalk, or at least some grainy mineral, and the statue itself seemed either worn by time or unfinished. She surmised the finished form would be of a running woman, peering behind her. Something tickled in her mind and she stole closer to Mazikeen, a chill in the air suddenly.

"May rhoard hash many zeecrests, Mish Rangrer," the half masked woman said solemnly, her awkward method of speaking disorienting still.

Jinx nodded, simply accepting the statement as truth and explanation. _Well_, she mused, _he is Lucifer after all_. She shivered, but it had nothing to do with the temperature. _And I was... am making some pretty intimate deals with him. What am I thinking?_

_Raven_, her mind intoned, an image large and threatening to overwhelm her overstressed psyche slipping unbidden into the forefront of her thoughts. The face of her affections coaxed a grin from her lips and she laughed suddenly, spinning about in place in a neat pirouette.

Mazikeen watched the mad girl with little expression, but knew well the touch of chaos on the likes of mortals. Shivering Jemmy of the Shallow Brigade had once graced these same halls, having come to implore the former Lord of Hell for the key to his erstwhile realm. The youth, with her simple balloon and waifish form had nearly devoured the _Lux_ in aggravation at waiting, and only that, before her Lord had sent the noisome brat on her way back to the realm of Chaos with a firm rebuttal.

To say Mazikeen was happy that the business her Lord had with the young woman behind her was done, would be understatement.

Jinx was about to ask when they'd reach this "Viewing room," when her guide opened a door to a room that seemed to be open sky, rather than solid walls. Much to her relief, a floor was included in this room's design, and with wide eyes the youth and the masked woman walked to the center of the room with little preamble.

Mazikeen's voice startled Jinx, but she recovered in time to make out what she was asking, saving herself the indignity of asking the woman to repeat herself, despite her garbled speech. "... rill neet to know rhere it iz hyou zeek to go."

Nodding a moment, while she picked at the woman's words, she figured her guess would be close enough to what she meant. "I suppose home, back in San Fransisco, and um," glancing at her watch again and wincing, she sighed. "Can whatever-it-is get me into my apartment directly? Feel like the white rabbit here." She grinned and laughed nervously when her guide simply regarded her with one cold eye.

"Ahz hyou vish," she simply stated, and before the women a door opened, literally into what appeared to be Jinx's apartment. Blinking at the sight, she stepped forward carefully, inspecting the frame and validity of the sight, before turning to the masked woman behind her.

"This room can go anywhere, can't it?" When the mask bobbed once, she bit her lip and laughed quietly, hands, stuffing themselves into her pockets with a sigh. "Don't suppose I could keep a door back here open someway...?"

The mask pivoted in a negative slowly.

"Had to ask. Well, thanks for tea! And um, really thanks. I know I've been a wretched guest, but it means a lot to me, what this all may do." Hesitating no more, she stepped back into her own realm, leaving Mazikeen and the Viewing room behind her.

The masked daughter of Lilith breathed a small sigh of relief, with the departure of the troublesome guest, but was secretly grateful to her for lifting her Lord's spirits. She was quite pleased at how quietly elated the first among the Fallen seemed, and knew that whatever endeavor this waif was dealing in with him, would come to both their benefit easily.

She was so relieved and caught up in her thoughts of returning to her master that she neglected to see the small trail of thread, violet on blue of the room, where the door to Jinx's home had been a moment before.

Back in her home, Jinx smirked in imitation of her recent host, standing stark upright with her nose up in the air, hands tucked behind her back in a parody of stature. "And good day to you, Miss Mazikeen," her facade collapsing into a fit of giggles, she tied a red bow around the strand of hem that she'd pulled loose from her pocket in passing through the doorway.

It faintly, very faintly, still glimmered there, in the shape of a window upon the wall to her living room. Humming to herself gaily, and noting the time as her clock struck five pm, she retrieved her cell phone from the dresser and called Brant, making sure all was clear on the home front.

Kicking on her stereo by stomping on the remote while struggling out of her clothes, she grinned as the strands of music wafted through the condo, irony for her week layering in great masses in her mind. Humming along with the quietly accented guitar, she smiled, picking through the closet for something that she hoped would please Raven. Nodding along with the music, hopping into the bathroom as the lyrics haunted her in time, plying at her hair with a brush that was wholly too meek for the task, Jinx went about preening for her date. She sang quietly, a counter to the light voice of the vocals as she coaxed her locks into a rather neat ponytail, before moving on to work on other projects.

Halfway done, Brant called her back, as she was pulling on her clean underwear, a very, very brief shower having rinsed the dust from her trip clean but entirely too short (and cold!) for her liking. She told him to have her car ready, and if it was red yet? Yes? Good, and to be scarce, that she would be back in force as Boss lady... well sometime tomorrow. 

Probably.

Maybe.

Jinx looked at herself in the mirror, her anxiety pressing in on her making her breath shallow and weak as she inspected the results of her hurried preparations. Smiling, she nodded and had to admit – she cleaned up good. 

_One last thing to do..._

Clearing her throat, she let her mind drift on the chords resonating from the stereo, her hand reaching up to the surface of the mirror, hesitating inches from it. Remembering the strand of song, a lyric in particular, she mouthed it quietly, smirking with her eyes closed tight. "...cause my bright is too slight, to hold back all my dark..."

The words had the desired effect, and as she opened her eyes, fingers laying against those of her counterpart in the mirror she smiled. Inky black eyes glinted back at her, a wash of midnight hair pinned behind her head swaying slightly in the room's air conditioning. "Hey, cutie. Can we talk?"

She figured the oddest thing when talking to herself like this, was that her image answered as she asked the questions. Disconcerting, but frankly, her threshold for weird had been blown the fuck up days ago.

At fifteen minutes till six, she skipped out of the elevator to the condo, her car waiting behind her rather aggravated looking bodyguard. He was about to say something as she approached, but there was an air about her giddiness, a buzzing like power lines he'd come to relate to someone on the edge of breaking like a storm.

He held his tongue as the girl sped off, music blaring from the sports car and black-streaked pink hair streaming behind her.

Blinking, he realized what else had seemed wrong when his charge had passed by.

Aside from the few streaks of black in her hair, her eyes had a distinctly defined black lining, around the iris. He'd written it off as shadows but realized that in retrospect, perhaps his principal's absence had been more telling than she had let on. Determined to find answers, he reached into his pocket, retrieving his cell phone but realized as he started trying to make a call...

The battery was dead. Of all the foul luck...

_I Outside Titan Tower, Early Night I_

Raven wrapped her arms tight around her, the chill of the wind finally starting to penetrate her skin and make itself known. The time was getting close, and in all honestly, it was beginning to tell on her nerves that she'd come out early.

Looking back at home, the warmly glowing windows of Titan Tower, she realized that it was better she escape when she did, otherwise Robin would have likely noticed her lack of communicator and made a nuisance of himself. Sighing, she shoved the tinges of guilt back, back deep into her mind.

She wasn't shirking responsibility, or dodging her duty.

She simply needed a day, a night at least, with no strings. Just her and the moment, to live and be. To try to, at least. And if something serious was to occur, her empathic link with the Titans would be simple enough to alert her, and even lead her to them.

With as little experience in actually living as she had, Raven figured making sure those particular ties to the reality of her Titan lifestyle had to be left behind for this as well. How could she possibly lose herself in the here and now, with the cold, metal reminder of her position and choices hanging off a hip, ready to peal out orders to abandon her desperate attempt at any minute?

The small gold communicator was sitting quite safe on her dresser. Her cell phone, though, was tucked into the tiny purse she carried, taking up most of it's interior in fact. She was reminded of it again as her fingers itched to pull it out and call Jinx, to make sure she was actually coming...

To make sure this wasn't all a cruel dream.

At what she figured to be around five minutes past six, her searching mind lighted on a particular sensation, one like eavesdropping on a rave that suddenly noticed your silhouette against a window.

_Hi, Raven... miss me? _

She saw the car pulling up around the small boardwalk by the bay, and blinked. The red sports coup was the variety she was sure Cyborg would simply drool on for a few hours, yet the style and details seemed very...

_Jinx_. Raven realized her shoulders had relaxed, tensions falling away, already halfway to the waiting feline as she stepped out of the vehicle, waiting by Raven's door as her eyes picked her out of the nighttime sky easily. Amused that such a simple thing as waiting could wind her up so tight, she stifled a smile.

Raven took in the sight of her date as she approached, her eyes drinking in every detail she could. Her hair was up, tucked into a simple clasp then falling gracefully from it in a cascade. Her clothing was the counter to Raven's own attire, which in her mind suited them just fine.

Jinx's skirt was a simple black, pleated severely and seeming because of it to hug her shapely hips and thighs tightly, before ending a few inches above her knees. Raven realized her top was actually part of that skirt, a sleeveless, fitted one piece that hugged the slightly taller girl's frame tightly. Running from the center, going the distance from her navel to hollow of her throat was a zipper, topped with a buckled collar that was part of the top. The zipper itself had a loop that Raven could slip probably two fingers within, a pretty contrast in silver to the black of the ensemble. _Tempting as well_, she noted with a slight shiver.

A jacket kept the cold at bay, a simple thing, mandarin cut collar and lapels, Jinx having let the shoulders fall back, so only her forearms were truly covered.

The effect of her bare shoulders was more telling on Raven than she'd admit, and the dark Titan found herself hovering slightly above her date, staring as she held a hand up, a grin along her lips. "Need a hand?"

Blushing at the realization she'd been staring the entire time she drifted to that point, Raven nodded and took the offered hand, 'stepping' down from her position in the air and letting the feline help her into the car.

The first thing she noticed, was that seats were warm, comfortably so, despite the car's top being down. The contrast of warm perch and cool air made her smile, and it was with a start that she realized she was not only nervous, but giddy, somewhat thrilled, scared out of her mind and...

The list went on and on. And despite it, nothing was imploding, flying about randomly, encased in black force or simply breaking as if struck by some invisible hammer. The realization of all her summations possibly being true, that some quirk of who or what Jinx was, could cause her to be able to feel, without consequence sent a thrill up her spine.

Jinx grinned and looked over at her date, noticing the tendency for a strand of hair, part of the usual fall of Raven's bangs, kept sneaking forward into her face. As she tried to be less obvious in her staring, the Titan swept the obscuring strand back into place, almost pulling a giggle from the former thief. Raven could feel her eyes, the warmth of the other girl's affection, and felt her color trying to rise. Turning to meet Jinx's coral eyes she instead found herself watching as the girl reached out, starting the car.

She took in the small details, her lips trying to quirk at the corners despite her. The fall of the jacket, almost an afterthought against Jinx's pale skin, almost rivaling her own. Then the alarms started, small details she'd not caught, her preoccupation with pale girl before her simply being there too strong before. Black streaks in her otherwise fuchsia hair, the inky line rimming her irises, the feeling like being too close to a power line rolling off the girl. Raven was opening her mouth, when Jinx's coral eyes met her own, and something... felt like it was smiling behind them and-

Jinx was ecstatic, just to have Raven be this close to her. She couldn't stop smiling, stop herself from fidgeting electrically in her seat. She smiled over at her date, the dark Titan glancing at her appraisingly, causing her to blush. Reaching out to put the engine in gear, the red MX-5 purring contently beneath them, she felt the small hairs on the back of her neck rise.

That feeling... right before a storm. Right before-

She dropped her hand from the gearshift and it struck her seat lever, causing the back to simply fall down. The former thief stared blankly above her as a black band of force appeared and closed around nothing, dissipating on itself. Again, that nudge of awareness crackled down her spine and she twisted, flipping back and out of the seat as another band tried to close around her as she lay prone. Landing impossibly in her slight heels, she spun in place and stared back at Raven. "Raven, what the hell?"

Raven stared blankly at her, her eyes the pale gray of concentration she was so familiar with. Ducking, dodging and weaving to avoid the attempts to restrain her, Jinx railed inside her mind for an answer.

The Titan simply worked on instinct, this dance old and familiar. She wanted to know something, and Jinx had the answer. Anxieties and the mad swirl of emotions inside her faded into the concentration of focusing her powers into a goal, and she tracked the pink blur that was Jinx, trying to snatch that star out of the night.

Jinx cartwheeled away from one attempt only to be spun in place, her footing going foul at the right time to miss a parallel attack from the other side. "If this is your idea of foreplay, I have to tell you I'm not that easy!" Something behind her imploded and the force of it had her rolling into a handspring, coming up face to face with the girl as she sat in the passenger seat of her car.

The resounding sound of a hand impacting skin shook them both from their musings, Raven's eyes fading back to their normal color as Jinx panted slightly, her face a study in incredulousness and disbelief.

She stared at her hand, slitted eyes narrowing as she sighed, glancing furtively at the Tower in the distance. A feeling of dread and a cold spike of... what? Doubt? Ran up her spine. "I get it. This was slick, you know? So when should I expect Boy Wonder's parade call?" Slumping against the door, her hand stinging from the slap, she resigned herself to stop the mad dance and just let whatever happened, do so. When no restraining bands came, she looked up into the hurt eyes watching her. She was too tired to fight, now. Too much had happened this week, too many things weighed on her. Leaving the Justice League, her father, the takeover of his business, all the madness surrounding her trying – so hard! – to find some solution for the doom surrounding Raven... She'd burned too many bridges. All for this one chance.

A chance that was slipping through her fingers like sand.

"What do you mean, you think... What?! No! What are you thinking?" Raven felt the implication that she'd only come here to trap Jinx like a physical blow, a second one, the first being the slap that snapped her out of pursuing the pink-haired girl in the first place. "What's gotten into you?"

Jinx snorted shaking her head and putting some distance between herself and the Titan, "I should be asking you! Oh no, you are not making me the bad guy here – haha, little bit of humor there, in case you missed it, you cold bitch – not when the only thing I've done wrong tonight is smile and say hello!" Snarling, Jinx felt her eyes stinging mightily, but she'd be damned, damned if she'd show weakness right now. What gave her the right, the flaming arrogance or...

Raven blinked and the cold fingers of realization crept up her spine, making her shiver in the cool night air. Voices inside her, a chorus of conflicting recriminations all bearing her own voice welled up, an unkindness of ravens all with her own face, cawing at her mercilessly. "I... I'm sorry. Something just... I'm sorry." Not knowing what else to do, not even really knowing why she did what she had, the Titan fell back on the only recourse she could think of.

Black tendrils of energy snaked around her and obscured her, as Jinx watched the Titan fall back into shadow and nothingness from within her car.

The wind picked up, sounds from the city drifting to the bay's shoreline. Her red sports car hummed expectantly, blind and deaf to the the madness surrounding it. Chill crept into her skin finally, the euphoric high of expectation snuffed out as a candle, leaving her empty, stumbling as she stared out at the glowing Tower in the distance.

A sound, starting quietly and originating somewhere deep inside her built, shaking her like a leaf as it finally tore out of her raggedly, her hands clenching at her sides as she screamed and screamed. Her eyes finally bled the tears she felt, as violet arcs of force crossed and recrossed her, her form drifting along air currents she wasn't even trying to climb. A final, feral cry sounded as the girl glared her demon's glare at the Tower, speeding off at it in a blur.

A black mandarin cut jacket fell, draping itself along the driver's seat as the car idled, waiting for someone to guide it to a destination.

The Titans were alerted by the the Tower defenses exactly one second after it would have made any difference between what happened and what could have.

Luck would have it, that earlier that day, Beast Boy had been washing the upper floor windows, the ones overlooking the bay. Luck would have it that in his preoccupation to get back to playing his games with Terra, that he forgot to lock the swing arm of one of those same windows, so that it wouldn't be opened by a strong gust of wind or a autumn storm.

Luck would have it, that just before Jinx would have flown through and shattered the pane, such a gust blew it open before her, leaving an unobstructed path down the hall to the rooms and her target.

Robin had just enough time to open his mouth before a pink sunburst blasted past them, upsetting the chairs and table in it's wake as it screamed with a shrill, almost feral voice.

"DAMN YOU! I will NOT be stood up RACHEL ROTH!! NOT AFTER MY WEEK!"

And then it was gone, down the hall as the Titans picked themselves up off the floor and blinked at the... lack of wreckage. "Was that...?" Beast Boy hazarded as he tried to clear the ringing from his ears to no avail.

Robin nodded and motioned everyone down the hall after him, proceeding cautiously as he could guess where their intruder had gone. "That had to have been Jinx."

Cyborg was still analyzing his data and whistled slightly, isolating one decent capture of the girl's passage. "Man, she looks pissed. But um... say."

Their leader spared him a glance as they made the trip down the hallway, silent since the outburst earlier. "What is it Cy?"

Looking puzzled, her shrugged once and kept on, the image in his analyzer still making him wonder quietly. "Well, back when I was spying on the Hive, I had access to all the student records. Jinx never could fly. But that was definitely her."

Tucking this bit of info away for later thought, the young Detective motioned his team forward, the hallway ahead of them leading to Raven's room. "Be ready, I have no idea what we'll see here. Things have obviously changed, and I'm not taking any chances."

The shadows around her room lengthened, and like a mother laying a child to rest, produced the prone form of a distraught half-demon Titan, laying her on the sheets of her bed. Raven tucked her arms around her knees, curling on her side to stare out at nothing as her mind whirled in on itself.

_Why? Why did I... of all the things I could of done wrong, why did I attack her?_ Answers bubbled up into the blackness of her mind, slow but persistent.

_Trust_. She didn't really trust the former thief did she? If she did, maybe she'd have asked her a question, rather than react like she did. But... then why did she wait? Why have faith if there wasn't trust behind it, that Jinx would come back?

_Fear_... oh yes. Raven feared Jinx. Feared how easily she cut down her defenses, feared how easily she felt, anything and everything around the pink-haired girl. Feared how easily that could become habit, and then her control-

Damn her control, what has it gotten her? Swearing in Azarathean, the dark Titan cursed every failsafe, every tenet of her heritage that moment. _Eighteen years_, she railed inside her mind. _My entire life, all an exercise in futility, for a moment that was no one's choice to change or avoid. Oh what great sport the Temples had with me, oh yes_. Fail to tell me, until I was leaving that dimension that regardless of my discipline, disregarding the gems embedded in my skin, along the axis of her body focusing her chakra points, forgetting the constant, exhausting power sinks she trained into herself – none of it would matter.

She was hell, walking wherever her feet touched the ground. She would herald an Armageddon of hate and despair at the hands of a father she never knew, who's only love for her was as an escape to another dimension to ravage. Her hands raked over over nearly impenetrable skin, to the gem over her heart, to feel it burning slightly, a heat she smiled and welcomed.

_Trust... I don't trust myself. And she gets to me, oh how easily. So close I can smell her, taste her on the air, and it scares me to death. That someone could waltz into me, inside my skin like that and I'd no say in whatsoever. So... I pushed, again. First it was when I woke in her apartment, then this. _

All the time she spent, silently bemoaning her fate, her desire to feel alive, rather than just go through the motions like an automaton, and when given the chance, she throws it away and cowers back into her shell. Disgusted, Raven shuddered at her own silent duplicity, the whirlwind of her own emotions curling and curdling in her stomach.

_Emotions_, she spat the word, another curse. Shaking her head slightly, the Titan curled deeper into herself, letting the silence of her room settle around her shoulders. The smell of old paper, parchment, and clean cloth. Th coolness of air infused with her power and scent over the years, of the night's darkness settling along the bones of the Tower, a cloak in itself.

Raven wrapped that silence around her like a second ski-

"... I will NOT be stood up RACHEL ROTH!! NOT AFTER MY WEEK!"

Jumping at the sound of her name, her eyes widened and her stomach flipped.

Jinx was inside the Tower.

Inside the Tower, past the defenses, past the other Titans likely.

Coming for her.

Her lip curled slightly, "..."

For her part, Jinx wasn't seeing anything but the twists and turns of the Tower, leading her to the room she remembered from the Hive's takeover so long ago. Lighting outside the door to the room in question, she stifled a vague anxiety of bursting in on the Titan she was supposed to be driving beside at this moment. Smiling beside-

Snapping her glare to the small lock panel beside the door, she took in the keypad, the palm sized switch, and the blinking red 'locked' indicator on it. Smirking she slapped the thing, her hand just happening to press the right code on impact. The door beeped, and the portal opened with a hydraulic swoosh, revealing the yawning darkness ahead.

Raven's eyes blinked at the sudden light, realizing she'd been staring right at the closed doors. The sight that greeted her was almost what she'd expected.

Jinx, the light of the hallway casting her in silhouette, eyes glinting the color of sun on cherry blossoms. Around her licked the odd arc of force, but unlike every other time she'd been faced with Jinx in this mode, this time she wasn't the villain.

The villain was laying on the bed, waiting for her. Raven's hair hid her smile.

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A/N: Rather long chapter, as I couldn't find a decent place to break it.  
Yes, I know I've been stringing you along, waiting for the date, and this little twist was... interesting.  
Remember that we're dealing with two very polar, very rooted in their own ideal girls, who despite all their wants, are scared and somewhat lost in this whole drama. The idea of the easy get together, just didn't seem to fit. So there are rocks. But worry not... things won't be bleak long. Obviously. 

Music implied by Brand New, Jesus Christ


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: All DC characters are owned by their owners, none of which happen to be at this moment. Brant and Fee are mine. Some other people too. Not that you'd need them anyway.**

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_Warning: The date has arrived. Where in previous chapters, implied sexual overtones was evident, it gets a bit more heated here. If you can't stomach some healthy girl-centric romance, leave. Currently, this is a very, very strong "T". On with the show..._

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Simply? Love, is.

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_**Act Three: In Darkest Night**_

**Chapter Fifteen**

_I Titan Tower, Early Night I_

Jinx stood there, half in and half out of the doorway, breath rasping slightly from her emotional outburst earlier. The light seeping around her put details of the dark room in harsh contrast, her cat's eyes befuddled for a moment.

She could see the color of the carpet, the shadows of thousands of books shivering against each other on shelves, and the edge of a bed. The contrasting light was defeating her vision, so to remedy this, she reached over and gently keyed the door shut, stepping fully into the gloom. _Better... now I know she's..._ the low light was plenty, for her to see with, and motion became painfully obvious in such low light.

Curled up facing her on the bed, lay Raven, her hair in slight disarray and an expectant, almost serene look on her face. Jinx's inflamed mind cooled at that, thief's instincts kicking in and making her pause.

It may have been the adrenaline, or the sudden change of environment, possibly the knowledge she was deep, deep in potentially enemy territory... but her fight of flight impulse was locked into aggressive, and so her instincts flared to the fore. Settling her weight and mind defensively, she raked her eyes over the girl before her.

"Funny," her voice cracked, feeling alien in her ears. "I always thought the second time I got to see your room, would end with me tearing your clothes off." The quip was disarming, but her tone was still cool. She gauged the currents with it.

Raven laughed despite all her internalizations, all her morbid meanderings of thought. Sitting up and dangling her legs off the bed, she kept her eyes locked with Jinx's own, noting with a small shiver that like a cat's, they picked up and shone in the dark with ambient reflections. "That'd be a first... but would you mind sparing the dress? I actually like this one."

Chuckling herself, and forcing her reactions to the side, the thief leaned back against the closed door, the weight of the week past pressing down on her like a millstone. She felt stretched out, thin, made of vapor. "Too much bread, not enough jam," she mumbled to herself, a corner of her mouth quirking.

"Hungry?" Raven's head tilted, that small strand of azure hair sweeping back into place from her right.

Jinx's lips thinned, shaking her head slightly in the gloom."What happened back there Sunshine?"

The Titan's mouth worked silently a moment, as she looked away. Taking a stilling breath, she regarded her dresser, the things arrayed there. "I wanted this so much. You've been on my mind for... years it feels like," Raven looked up at the bad luck charm leaning on her door and suppressed an urge to run there. "Then all of a sudden... there you are." Shaking her head, violet brushed across her vision.

Jinx blinked once, her eyes lingering on the carpet before the Titan, the one face she'd wanted to see it felt like for weeks, but for some reason could not meet. "So you... ran?"

Raven's nod wasn't missed, despite how brief, or slight. She sighed and stood, her arm clasped around her waist as she looked over at her erstwhile date. "Yeah, I did. I'm sorry. Sorry for freaking out and then coming here," Biting her lip till she tasted copper, the Titan closed her eyes. "Sorry for not trusting you."

Coral eyes winced and Jinx pushed off the wall, closing the distance between the two. Tension still filled the air, and Raven stiffened as the other girl invaded her personal space, but didn't draw back. Raven hadn't noticed her vision blurring and going unfocused until she felt a cool touch on her cheek, turning her head slightly, her attention back to the girl before her.

"I'm sorry for this, I really am..." Jinx's voice was a low purr, something almost outside of language and Raven shivered at how close it was. She must be right beside-

Soft, impossibly soft lips brushed her cheek, the one that had earlier felt bruised by Jinx's palm. Raven bit back the sound that threatened to escape her, railing against her impulse but stood transfixed, craving that warmth, that softness again. Finally, she could stifle it no longer and the reaction washed along her skin, raising small hairs, a shiver quaking through her as a low, almost silent sound slipped between her clenched teeth.

When the warm presence moved away, she nearly cried out but kept herself centered, simply meeting the mischievous gaze leveled at her. "All that for a kiss on the cheek?" Raven nodded and blushed her eyes growing slightly defiant. "Mm, you're too much of a temptation."

Jinx laughed quietly and stepped back to the wall, pulling the bemused Titan with her, finally resting her back to the cool surface. Her hands circled Raven, trailing over the expanse of skin her dress allowed, drawing a gasp and shudder from the shorter girl. Raven, having never felt this much contact, this much desire for it in her life, curled up against the taller feline with a sigh of relief, something deep and haunted lifting from her mind.

Slightly surprised that the usually coolly collected hero would react so strongly – and positively – to her embrace, Jinx made a note to herself, stifling her mischievous nature, not to abuse that knowledge. Well... yet anyway. _Hah, fighting maybe fifteen minutes ago and now I'm contemplating how she'd sound if I..._ She shook her head hard, earning a glance at her from the hazy-eyed Titan.

"Sorry, just a small conflict of emot-

The door chirped and opened with a jolt, the collected force of the remaining Teen Titans dashing inside and scanning the room. Robin, as he skidded to a stop a few feet ahead of the others, called out, hoping that they'd not barged in at a bad time, their knocking having been unanswered.

"Raven, are you alright? Where is-" the Boy Wonder's eyes grew wide, as he took in the scene ahead of him, everyone but Beast Boy standing silently in a state of shock. One by one, the Titans locked their gazes on the image painted before them.

Jinx, pushed up against the wall and slumping slightly, her thigh at an angle and clasped between Raven's own, with the former thief's hands still along her bare shoulders, the two so close that breath shifted the other's clothing.

Terra flashed a covert thumbs up, and Beast Boy finally found his voice, much to the couple's annoyance. "Duuude..." Raven was sure that if she were to check a dictionary, that word would in fact only have four letters, but wasn't really in the mood to read at this moment.

Jinx smirked slightly, sighing, "Excuse-"

"-Us," Raven finished, bundling the Titans out of the room with a burst of black energy, as Jinx reached over and palmed the door shut, the 'locked' indicator chirping with finality in the sudden gloom.

The two grinned at each other, separating reluctantly in the dark. Jinx made her way to the window, gazing down at the bay with an unreadable expression. Raven watched her, eyes taking in the silhouette of the feline in the slight moonlight, the posture and the emotional charge still practically pulsing between them. The Titan stifled another blush, dearly glad that Jinx wasn't an empath as well.

"I really... I wanted to be with you." Jinx turned, her usual mischievous grin back in it's customary place. "Not like _that_, well maybe but," giggling to herself, pink hair shook in the low light. "It doesn't make sense. Ever since you saved me that night, I've had you on my mind. I wanted to leave the Hive, and it was... I was thinking of you. How I could be better, you know?" She heard Raven move closer, the soft sound of the dress she word sliding over pale skin. Shivering, Jinx closed her eyes, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

"Then, when we were on the satellite, Zatanna and I, something happened. I found out, well some of it," voice going quiet, she none the less, smiled when cool arms wrapped around her tentatively, the quiet presence beside her warming the former thief. "Mm. Then I decided... I had to do something."

Raven was a little shocked, a bit confused and very, very flustered, with the feline's admissions, the emotions rolling through her and the meaning behind it all. Despite it, she stayed silent, not wanting to disrupt the rapport the two enjoyed, or possibly break the contact, so intoxicating they shared.

She smiled to herself in the dark._Mine_, she thought quietly. At least for this moment, _mine_.

Jinx leaned back slightly, her own hands slipping to tangle fingers gently with the cool ones resting along her arms. The two stood there, eyes looking at nothing, minds tranquil for the first time in weeks it seemed. Raven could feel the contentment rolling off Jinx, realizing that the chaotic rush of thoughts were just the nature of the perky witch, regardless of her mood. How different they were, but she was regardless, fascinated.

"Sunshine, can we talk more over dinner?" The question startled the Titan slightly, but she nodded against the pale shoulder she'd drifted against, loathe to disentangle from their position by the window.

Violet eyes sought out black-rimmed coral ones, and her voice was a little more husky than she wanted to admit, in asking. "So you admit you are hungry then?" So many other things lanced through the empath's mind, but were quelled, for the moment. Raven was quietly amused at how intoxicated she was feeling, the rush of contact, her emotions running so rampant left her.

Smirking, the lithe girl nodded to the bay shore and laughed quietly. "Not so much, but I'm a magnet for irony, so perhaps we should go..."

Raven peered over her companion's shoulder, blinking as her eyes focused on the place Jinx was peering, her chuckle wry in the dark. "Is... that someone trying to steal your car?"

"Fly now, laugh later, Sunshine," And with that, the taller girl simply _leaped_ out of Raven's window, her started gasp and frenzied attempt to gather her power stalling as a slightly luminous pink form arched above the waves, making it's way to the shoreline. Blinking her questions back for later asking, Raven grinned suddenly.

A book rattled on a shelf and flipped onto the floor unnoticed.

Black tendrils of force wrapped around her, and stepping into them, she sighed contently, feeling the night's cool embrace promising so much. But first, she had to beat Jinx to the punch, so to speak.

A number of the passerby that afternoon, by the boardwalk on the bay shore had been witness to the odd quarrel that erupted between the two girls earlier that night. After the two has left, the night drew on, and the stares at the still running, sporty convertible coup were getting longer, more envious.

One man, smiling at his good luck, decided that looking a gift horse in the mouth was a silly thing to do this lovely night, and snatching a paper from a stand, nonchalantly made his way to the parked car. Acting as if he had simply left the car to idle while browsing the paper stand, the man slipped along the driver side and into the seat, draping the expensive looking jacket – bonus, he grinned – to the passenger seat as he adjusted the back into a more workable position.

Running an appreciative hand along the dash, the man smirked, preparing to put the still idling car in gear as the engine suddenly cut out, his hands stalling on the gearshift. Glancing around the steering column, he found the keys missing, where they had previously, obviously, been in the ignition. Mumbling quietly about details and time, the man glanced around, and found the errant keys...

Floating at eye level to his right, just in front of the passenger seat. Reaching out dumbly, he was brought to a halt by the voice, coming icily from that same side of the car.

"I distinctly don't remember you being my date for the evening."

Turning, he saw a rather pale young woman, a red gem adorning her forehead, azure hair in a pin on one side, with her cold, violet eyes making a suiting complement to her voice a moment before. Swallowing in an attempt to clear his voice, the man blinked, the shadows in the car seeming to grow deeper suddenly.

Glancing around as he thought and grasped mentally for a counter, the girl beside him smirking the entire time. Figuring the direct route was likely the best he steeled himself, about to reach over and throw the girl bodily from the car and reclaim the keys when a voice from above startled him yet again.

"... I'd really suggest you not lay a hand on my date, or my car for that matter..." Staring up with eyes bulging, the would-be thief gaped at the sight there. Apparently lounging in mid air, hands behind her head, was a girl in her late teens, pink hair streaming back behind her as if she was laying... against the sky. But all that was barely noted, around the arcing, malevolently glowing neon eyes that were pinning him to the seat. To say that her Cheshire smile, with it's sharpened teeth was the last straw would likely be an understatement.

Having had quite enough for one night, the thief bolted out of the car, stumbling as he looked back, noting the Cheshire grin still spread on the floating girl's face, he whimpered and scurried into an alleyway, disrupting garbage cans and the odd stray dog or cat along the way.

Moments later the baywalk was echoing with laughter, as the two girls sat, in the car, pulling seat belts into place. Still giggling occasionally to themselves, the two teens started their date with smiles, where maybe a half hour before, neither were expecting there to be a date at all.

"Admit it Sunshine," Jinx quipped, noting Raven's lingering grin, barely a shadow along the corner of her lips. "You enjoyed scaring that guy. There's a wicked streak in there, I know it."

Refusing to let her morbid thoughts surface, the Titan nodded slightly, stretching into the wind coursing over and through the car. "Yeah, I do have a somewhat... dark side," she replied in her drollest voice. Jinx swerved as she laughed, glancing at her companion.

"Did you just crack a joke? I've never heard you do that." Smiling the feline was audience to Raven telling her about the occasional comment, quip or joke she played on her teammates. The former thief was amused, and glad, to hear there was more to the Titan's life than she had heard of from Hive records and her own observations. She could still tell there was somewhat the girl wasn't telling her, a twinge of something hidden quickly from an earlier comment, but let it go for now.

The city passed around the pair, and Raven took it in, the lights, the people. Sounds and the signs around her jumped at Raven, and she drank it all in, getting dizzy with the feeling of it all. Still, her attention was merely diverted for moments, always coming back to rest on the pink and midnight hair beside her. Her lips quirked slightly at a thought, "Jinx, why do you call me Sunshine?"

The thief glanced at her, a lopsided grin never leaving her lips. "It was the first time I thought... " the girl trailed off, and laughed once, silently. "Tricky. Remember that morning? Waking up next to you?"

Her color rising slightly, Raven nodded, remembering it well, and the lingering reminders she kept to hold the images, feelings close. "Yeah... I do."

Smiling the girl spun the wheel to the right, an arm snaking out to catch and hold the suddenly leaning Titan closer. "I remember how it seemed... really fitting. The sun on your face, the way you smiled so slightly. Whenever I think about you, some part of that morning is always there."

Blinking at the sudden embrace, the Titan barely registered the horns and screaming from all sides as Jinx's ploy played out, the highway in shambles in their wake. "I'm glad that I stayed then." Glancing around, behind them with a start at the noise, her eyes widened. "Oh my – Look what you did!"

Giggling, the thief rounded a corner, smirking the entire time. "Was worth it."

"You're such a brat."

"Spank me then," Jinx lilted, pitching her voice into a sing-song cadence.

Raven stared at her with her expression blank, then slowly a smile washed over her features. "Be careful, or I just may." Eyes widening and mouth suddenly very dry, the thief decided not to press her luck, regardless of the imagery flitting in her mind at the thought of Raven, leather and lace.

Smirking the Titan leaned back in her seat, pleasantly immersed in her companion's mental musing. "Oh, that sounds interesting," she purred, eliciting a yelp from beside her.

"No fair peeking!"

"Spoilsport."

The two bantered back and forth for the rest of the short drive, Jinx finally reaching their destination, pulling off the highway as Raven took in the sign they passed, turning to grin at her companion. "Los Gatos, huh?" Reaching over to prod at Jinx, eliciting a surprised gasp, the Titan laughed quietly. "No, no lost cats here... "

"Oh you're just a regular comedian tonight aren't you," the thief drolled, her eyes rolling. Raven huffed slightly before shifting her attention to the scenery.

"This is the furthest I've been, that hasn't involved chasing or researching some crime."

Jinx, leveled a concerned gaze at the girl. "I remember you guys went to... uh. Starfire's home planet, though, wasn't it?" Raven nodded but continued, explaining.

"See, that's the thing. Outside of well, work, I don't really get out any. I think around the Tower, fetching food or going shopping for odd necessities has been the most I've gotten out since I came to earth."

The feline was nearly floored by this revelation, her eyes straying back to the Titan as she pulled into a hotel parking lot, navigating to find the avenue she was looking for. "Hold that thought, Raven, once we get inside I want to talk about that some more."

Nodding, seeing the valet come to meet them, Raven understood the girl's reasoning. After all, the odd valet really didn't need to know about Azarath and the mundane, boring history of Raven's past.

Jinx for her part, was loathe to ever ask the pale Titan to be still, as her dialogs were so few and very dear to the thief. She was also loathe to let the valet help her from the car, watching his eye appraise the azure haired girl discreetly. As the man crossed to her side of the car, his smirk returned, apparently pleased at his luck, two pretty young ladies to gape at this time.

She yawned, feigning inattention and opened her door into his groin. After making sure with a smirk he could park her car properly, she stepped up beside her date, a cocky swagger to her step and laced her arm around Raven's, drawing a small blush from the Titan. "Shall we?" The pair walked into the courtyard to the hotel, the night crowd devoted to the small restaurant's clientèle, separate from that of the lodgings.

Raven felt her companions barely restrained nervous energy, the electricity of the girl. Tucking her smile back, she snuck her free hand beneath their entwined arms and wiggled her fingers into the perky witch's side suddenly.

Coral eyes flew wide as she giggled, then laughed loudly, bending away from Raven's merciless fingers, the Titan's arm a vice around her own, keeping her trapped. Finally with a particularly manic cacophony of mirth, the shorter girl relented, letting Jinx finally catch her breath. Conversations for about twenty yards around the epicenter of her outburst had halted, the pair suddenly the center of attention for a number of diners and people enjoying he night air.

"There's the Jinx I remember," she murmured with a smirk.

"You are so in trouble later."

Turning her head, violet eyes locking on the taller thief, the Titan's only response was a muted "ooh".

Jinx's blush matched her hair.

The pair made the last few yards to the restaurant, and Raven noted it wasn't just a simple corner affair, but took up the bulk of the lower floor of the hotel. Once inside, they took in the surroundings, the off white and cream décor a complement to the polished wooden walls and accents. Raven thought the place looked very cozy.

The Maitre d' stood at attention, his gaze, Jinx noted, having already raked over, filed and dismissed the two of them from since they entered. To be honest, this place had an awesome reputation, and she remembered it from a few years before, but without the buffer of her father and his influence to keep the proverbial slings and arrows still, she felt a twinge of apprehension. Did she belong in a place like this? Maybe she should have just taken Raven to Luella's...

As they paused by the podium, the man behind it gave them a curt nod, and Jinx waited, waited, wai-

"Do you have a reservation, young lad-"

The thief sprung forward, leaning against the podium with her Cheshire grin wide and winking in the subdued light of the atrium. Mocking a french drawl to match his own she addressed the foppish fellow, "But of course!" Dropping the affected accent, she continued, calmer, "It will be registered under Wrangler, William senior, standing table. I called and made special arrangements earlier. My name is Jennifer, also Wrangler." Giving him her best predatory smile, she waited for him to stop backpedaling away from his book, turning down her mania to a slow boil, rather than a locomotive's engine.

Gulping once as he took in the note beside the name on his registry, the man smiled his most gracious, bowing slightly to the pair as he rounded the podium, "One moment please ladies, while I assure the table and all arrangements are in order. One moment," walking smartly around the corner, Jinx waited, waited...

And nearly fell over laughing silently as he was finally out of earshot. Raven blinked, having witnessed the entire exchange with a combination of amusement and wry humor. After all, how often was it she, even as a hero, was treated like a pariah, a freak just because of her nature? And combine the two of them in one place... She smiled and moved beside her date, slipping a hand along her shoulders.

"Ah, sorry Raven, just had to," grinning manically, Jinx stood and took a steadying breath, her usual gleam back in force. "I know we look like a couple of street kids right out of a rave almost, but blech. Must everyone be so critical?"

"It's just human nature, don't let it get to you."

Eyeing her date with a raised brow, the pink-haired girl sniffed derisively. "Leave it to two inhuman girls to be the most humane people we both know, hmm?" Noting Raven's subdued response, she twined her arm back around the Titan's, and waited, sharing a companionable silence.

It didn't take them long to arrange things, as it was appreciably still a bit early in the night. The Maitre d' led them along the dining room, the Hellenic accents and smells distinctly proclaiming the establishment Mediterranean. Soft lighting, more of the eggshell colored accents, and warm polished wood floors all added to the ambiance, while wrought iron lighting fixtures drew eyes to soft shadows, rather than harshly lit nooks.

Raven though it was perfect.

They were led to a small corner table, the fixtures above seemed to be fitted for candles rather than lamps, and the subtle smell of beeswax soothed them, made it all the more inviting. As they were left to seat themselves as they would, a small decorative screen was pulled into place, the kind one would have by a wardrobe, offering them some privacy. Jinx smiled at the effect, the illusion of the restaurant being only theirs, but the warm, comfortable hum of human conversation there if you desired.

She helped Raven to her seat and then took her own, breathing in the scents and sounds with a contented purr. "This place still feels the same, just like a while ago."

"You used to come here often," Raven queried, tilting her head. A stray strand of blue drifted across her cheek from the right, and Jinx smiled.

"Father used to come here, most of the time alone, and stay at the hotel. He'd take days away to be on his own, sometimes." Her smile was rueful, eyes seeing a time long past, "We were such hellions, my sister and I. Took after our mother I hear."

Thoughts of family welled up in Raven, but it was warm, not the bitterness she usually felt. She basked in the happy glow of Jinx's memories, letting herself feel rather than observe them distantly. It was...

She had no words.

"Hey, Sunshine, you alright?" Coral eyes peered over at her, and she blinked back into the present.

Nodding quietly, she saw the waiter coming to them and arranged herself in a less dreamy expression.

Following her gaze, her date smiled and greeted the man, who seemed on an entirely different level of behavior than her contact so far tonight. "Welcome, ladies, to Dio Deka." He smiled warmly, arranging glasses on their table with fluid grace. "Here, there are no strangers. There are only friends, yet made. Such is our tradition, _filoxenia_. We welcome you to our home, as friends." His words struck both of them in different ways, their eyes meeting briefly as they relaxed into their seats, tensions they didn't know were there lifting slightly.

"Miss Wrangler," the man addressed Jinx, and she smiled, signaling him to continue. "We have your arrangements ready, I just would like to be sure. Two bottles of chilled Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, vintage '00, as well as some excellent Chamomile tea and a steeping zavarka pot. Will there be anything else to drink, this afternoon?"

Shaking her head, the teen grinned sheepishly at Raven who was sitting somewhat bemused at the amount of thought her companion had put into the night. As the man walked away, handing them menus to peruse, she caught Jinx's eye and smiled, getting her attention. Feeling like she should return the favor of thoughtfulness, the empath remembered something. "Did you still want to hear about home, what we were talking about on the drive over?"

Jinx's eyes brightened, and she nodded enthusiastically, "Please, I know I have a lot to explain myself... but I really would love to hear more about that."

Smiling slightly, Raven began to spin a tale.

She started with her mother's twisted beginnings, back when she was part of the Church of Blood, but didn't linger, moving quickly to her time in Azarath. She was relating the vague memories of her youth, the temples and acolytes when their waiter reappeared. He had all their drinks arranged on a small folding table, and they took and arranged them as they liked. The wine sat for the moment, chilling in ice with a towel she imagined to keep it a proper temperature.

Raven realized she'd forgotten to look at the menu at all, and winced, noting that Jinx seemed to have picked out something from memory. "Could you suggest something, Jinx? I don't want to delay it by taking a while to browse... " biting her lip a bit, she relaxed when the girl nodded in answer.

"Bell pepper and feta for an appetizer, and um. Let's see," the girl tapped her chin and regarded Raven a moment, thinking. "Paithakia for her, and I'll take a Bay scallop Ceviche, do you have a carrot salad?" They finished their order quickly, and Raven asked what she was to look forward to.

Jinx's Cheshire grin was her only response. "You'll see," she said.

The Titan laughed a bit and tried her tea, finding it excellent. Jinx's was a bit complex, and she asked about the two pots and why she was watering it down. She learned from the thief that Russian tea was a complex matter, often misunderstood. How the tea itself was brewed strong, almost narcotically so, and was diluted to taste and effect by a second pot of boiling water, before serving. She pointed out that the zavarka, the brewing pot, was this shape, and the diluting pot containing kipyatok; boiling water.

Drifting on the warm smells of tea, the Titan recounted more of her past, leading up to the formation of the Titans themselves. "We were a motley lot. Oddly, I have Zatanna to thank for why I ended up in the Titans and not the Justice League, I suppose."

Raven's tone got the coral-eyed thief's attention, the bitterness evident there. "What happened?"

"Apparently, she was well aware of my origins, and denied me sponsorship with the League, as being too much of a threat," her wry smile in place, she shrugged off Jinx's ill expression. "It's alright, I think it was better for me to be with the Titans, people my own age, rather than the League."

Jinx nodded, but her thoughts were in a whirl. _Why was Zatanna so keen to take her under a wing, but not Raven? Was their situations so different?_ Sighing to herself, she perked her ears back to current conversation.

"... and well, that's pretty much all of it, for the early me," the dark Titan finished somewhat embarrassed, realizing she'd been talking about herself for nearly a half an hour now. "Sorry to ramble on and-"

"You hush, I enjoyed hearing about it," a smile softened her interruption, and Raven met it in kind, before her eyes widened, presented a wine glass with a fruity smelling, golden liquid within. "We really should try this, I've heard such nice things from dad."

Raven eyed the glass dubiously, after taking it. "Jinx, I've never had alcohol before. I have no idea how I'll react."

"If you get giggly I promise to never tell a soul."

"I don't believe you."

"Probably for the best."

Laughing quietly, Raven took a small sip and smiled, the flavor very light and with a nice complexity. She'd never truly had wine before, but it was really nothing like what she'd imagined, being a grape derivative... "This is really... kinda nice. Mm, warm," she murmured, the liquid making it's way to settle in her center.

Trying to keep her smile pleasant and not too far into the Cheshire spectrum, Jinx followed her date's example, and agreed wholly. "This is really nice, and I'm not usually one for wines."

Raven smirked over her glass, "What's your drink of choice then?"

"Rum and coke," she answered automatically, eyes going wide after. "Er."

Laughing slightly, Raven took another sip. "Should have known, I bet you have lots of funny stories..." The dark Titan laced her fingers, resting her chin on them and peering at her companion. "Tell me some? I know your time with the Hive was probably not all that great, but maybe? How does someone so... irrepressible happen to be in my life?"

Blushing furiously, Jinx bit her lip and thought back, to her time at the Hive. It was... she admitted, a bittersweet thing. She decided that her past was pale compared with Raven's, and that there was no harm in the telling.

Starting with her time joining, having been approached by the Headmistresses agents, Jinx went over her past in small details, mostly telling Raven of the happy times. Being grouped with her friends, the would-be "Hive Five", then later she told of her somewhat embarrassing time as Cyborg was there as a spy.

"That was so funny, you had a crush on him? I so have to tell him..." Raven giggled, her hair falling, that one strand on the right again. Too tempted, and bolstered by the wine, Jinx reached over and tucked the errant strand back, the mood between the two warming instantly. A small sound escaped her lips as the warmth of Jinx's hand brushed along her cheek.

Smiling across from her, the thief looked into her eyes steadily, "I have to admit though, the first time I saw you, I was... affected." The raw emotion rolling off the thief was a drug, and Raven wasn't one to resist. Not tonight. She reached up and slipped her hand along Jinx's, on her cheek. Soft, blue tinted lips ran along the softness of Jinx's palm, and the thief hissed, a sound like satin shearing. "That's so unfair."

"Says the thief."

Jinx laughed quietly, running the tip of her thumb along Raven's cheek, tracing the high bones, the curve of her chin. "You really got to me, you know. It wasn't much of a coincidence I always sent the others in different directions." Laughing quietly, she shook her head. "Even when we were enemies, I was greedy with your time."

Raven's lip quirked, and she sighed contently. "I never complained. Besides... I liked the scenery." Laughing when the feline tickled her shoulder and retrieved her hand, she finished her glass of wine and motioned for a refill. "I am quite fond of this stuff."

"Me too," Jinx replied, filling her third, and Raven's second glass. "There's an old saying, I believe it was, "In Wine, there is truth"."

Raven perked up, remembering that quote. "Pliny the Elder, actually. At least he's credited with the saying."

"I don't believe I read it in _Naturalis Historia_, but I'm not disputing it. I found it an interesting work, despite basically being a digest compounded of other's studies."

"It was a great tool, for dating and understanding the lines of thought, politically and spiritually for the time, to have so many views and references pulled into thirty seven volumes so neatly. Being as he put it, 'neither the temperament for original investigation, nor the leisure necessary for the purpose,' he regardless was exhaustive in his pursuit to place all of nature in a view recognizable by the layperson."

Jinx shook her head, swirling the wine in her glass, "perhaps it was a noble ideal, but the scientific repercussions were stifling. Having such an expansive and rotely accepted document in place, with such sampled and varied but not opposed ideals, could have only slowed down the expansion and normal progress of the pursuit of knowledge, from the community in general."

"It wasn't commercial excerpt ideals, though. He spent great pains on making sure each view was explained fully and with well documented references," Raven indicated her desire for more wine, and Jinx complied, still countering her stance.

"But that's the issue, really. He only offered one view, and with so many simply tending to accept the accoladed works as rote, there was little conflicting, contemporary works in place for some time. Again though, that's not specifically Pliny's fault, but an issue with human nature; to grasp the easy answer but not question, until it becomes a personal device."

"Indeed, but for it's time, it was an amazing work, he really had a talent for pulling so many threads together and making them seem 'organic', I suppose, lacking a better word."

"He did have a wonderful grasp of the language," Jinx smiled, then laughed quietly. "_In Vino Veritas_, indeed."

Raven lifted her glass in a toast, "In Vino Veritas." The girls clinked glasses, and smiled eyes speaking volumes to one another over the rims of crystal.

Food arrived soon after, and the two indulged in spiced feta dip, with roasted bell peppers, while they ate off each other's main dishes. Raven's happened to be a roasted lamb specialty of the restaurant, while Jinx's was a rather savory seafood stew. About half way through the meal the two swapped plates, eager to try the new flavors.

"Now that we've gone on about the past, why don't we talk about the present some," Raven pointed out, her curiosity over the events surrounding Jinx's return from the Justice League still little more than hints and guesses.

Jinx regarded the nearly exhausted first bottle of wine, before smiling, taking their two glasses and the second bottle in hand. "Sure, but on one condition."

"Hmm, I don't know, making deals with a thief, what will the papers say," the Titan replied in a slow droll voice.

"Trust me, with the deals I've made, this is nothing," smirking a bit, she beckoned to Raven and walked toward the courtyard door. "Lets talk outside, this place is lovely, but I want some air."

"Oh, well if that's all, I'm happy to make those terms," Raven said with a serious tone, causing them both to giggle. Picking up Jinx's jacket where she'd forgotten it, the empath followed her date, her slightly alcohol laden mind rather preoccupied with the gentle sway of her companion's hips.

The night air was a chill contrast to the warm food and the hazing minds from the wine, but regardless the two filled glasses again, and stared out at the gentle night overhead, small, unobtrusive clouds making their unhurried way to the east. "It's so pretty, sometimes. I see why you spend so much of your free time on the top of that Tower. With no buildings close to close in the sky, it must have an amazing view."

"I don't know, I'm kind of enjoying the one from here," Raven murmured, her face turned to catch Jinx's skyward profile clearly. The thief merely blushed, and smiled a bit more, her hand snaking out to find Raven's own.

"Flatterer. You should know that'll get you anywhere."

"Duly noted," purring those two words, Raven closed the distance to the girl's shoulder, her cheek running against smooth skin that had tantalized her since she stepped from the sky what felt like days ago. Jinx breathed in suddenly, deeply and turned, brushing her lips across the Titan's forehead, the cool hardness of the gem adorning her forehead causing her lips to curl in a smile.

"You said that you have a gem for each chakra point...?"

Chuckling, she shook her head slowly. "The Crown and Root aren't needed. So technically I have five." She picked up on an electric spike of curiosity from the feline, and tilted her face up, breathing in wine-scented warmth slowly. "And I'll consider letting you see them," she breathed, the words tripping slowly off her tongue, a desire to feel those soft lips that were so recently on her forehead strong.

Her smile warm, the manic edge missing in the wake of Raven's closeness, Jinx slipped her hand around, tracing the line from small of back to just between the Titan's shoulders, eliciting a violent shudder from the Teen, which the thief paid for dearly...

Arching up from the feathery touches along her exposed back, the Titan took Jinx's lips with her own, a small sound resonating between their breath and skin. The half-demon let her desire ride her, and followed the thief's gentle, wordless instruction... caressing, gently biting, drawing at the girl's lips until they parted, breath heavy and eyes glimmering softly.

"Promise me you'll do that again," Raven asked, her breathing still shallow and rapid from the aching warmth so much contact had infused her body with.

Her eyes glinting with a hint of violet, the feline before her purred. "Try and stop me," the thief taunted, stretching languid in the starlight.

Raven leaned back against the wall they'd claimed as theirs, and let the night air cool her desires slightly. "Tell me, what you did when you got back?" Looking to see if this would cause the other girl distress, she was gladdened that her smile was still genuine.

"It's a long story, but I think I can do the highlights, and still have it be interesting," the thief replied, topping off her wine in expectation of much speaking. Raven's hand raised, her glass already dry as she grinned, violet eyes glinting. Jinx raised a brow.

"More truth please."

"I've created a monster."

"Mmm, happy monster, grr, grr," the Titan made playful clawing motions with a hand, causing Jinx to nearly spill the wine from laughing.

"God you're adorable, I'm so keeping you." As she noted the second bottle was nearly gone, she moved the conversation along, hoping to tell the Titan what she intended to, before another fit of 'truth' occurred.

"It all started while I was training with Zatanna in those time-twister rooms. In truth, I spent about four months up there, my time, because of those," she swirled her wine for a few minutes, smiling at the memories of those times.

Raven leaned her head back against the cool stone, stifling her want to feel more of Jinx, take more for the moment. She'd asked for a story, and the thief was happily telling her. There was something simply right with this, how they were. It settled on the Titan like a blanket, and despite the chill air, she was warmed. "Mm, I'm glad you had a better experience there, than in the Hive. It sounds like she really did try and help."

Nodding, the feline smiled. "Yeah, she was good. But we were all on the wrong track." Looking at the girl beside her, she held out her hand. "Promise not to get too freaked out?"

"Hmm. Sure, I don't think you can do much to surprise me."

"Challenges, tsk. Should know better, Sunshine," her Cheshire grin spread, but she turned her attention back to her palm. The alcohol dulled her senses slightly, so what she intended to be a simple candle flame ended up resembling a brief torch, but she held control and stilled it easily, once begun.

Raven's eyes widened, but she didn't draw away, rather she was rapt in attention to the girl beside her. "That wasn't... magic. You aren't really doing magic, are you?" The Titan slipped her hand up along Jinx's, their palms meeting as she tangled her fingers around the pale thief's. Eyes closing, she felt for the source of that power, and found the essence of Jinx, the electric, jubilant effluvia of energy that seemed to simply roll off and define the energetic girl.

"No, I don't really," she sighed, squeezing the hand in her own with a pleased sigh. "Gizmo and I thought it out, and figured it had something to do with entropy, but that's just part of it, a facet. It's rather difficult to get elemental, and make it work well. It's practically inverting the nature of what I can do well."

"Chaos and probability, isn't it?" Raven was enthralled, her experience never allowing her to meet someone with such a fundamental connection to primal forces before. Jinx's nod confirmed her guess, and she smiled, putting a few pieces of a puzzle together.

"Have you noticed something not happening when you're around, with me?" She asked, coming to stand before Jinx, watching those cat's eyes, the pupils wide and mesmerizing.

"To be honest, I've been more preoccupied with what _is_ happening..."

Laughing quietly, the Titan closed the distance quickly, her impulse to feel the other girl's warmth rising sharply. Wrapping her hand behind the taller feline's shoulder, she pulled lips to meet her own, hungrily taking the girl's breath this time. Soon the chasteness, already threatened by the heat and small sounds the two were murmuring against each other's lips, fell away and Raven sought not only to feel but to taste the sweetness of the wicked girl pressed so tight against her.

Pressing herself further, she took a deep breath, eliciting a gasp from Jinx as her chest pressed against the lithe girl suddenly, and giving her all the opening she needed. Running her tongue across honey-flavored lips, she took satisfaction in feeling the thief's head tilt, and warm hands slip along her back, pressing a moan from her throat. The two drank of each other deeply for minutes, heedless of the dimming lights of the hotel courtyard as the restaurant began ushering it's clientèle to the evening's end.

Jinx tilted her head back, gasping for air as the Titan slipped along her neck, causing her body to move of it's own. "Raven, Sunshine, not here..." She'd barely murmured the words before she was pulled again into a kiss, hungry, seeking, demanding. _And I thought I'd be taking the lead_, she mused, caught off guard in the wake of Raven's hunger.

"You can lead, but you're right... I am hungry. I've never fed; never been so intoxicated by someone, never felt this much, this strongly. Never could." Smiling, violet eyes glinted in the night. "That trick of probability that you do, or some part of it, when you're with me it keeps my power from randomly acting out, when I'm emotional."

Gasping, Jinx held the Titan at arm's length. "Raven. That's a tall statement, are you sure it's me?"

Raven nodded, unfazed by her companion's uncertainty, "It's always acted out. I can barely smile, or even laugh to myself even on the best of days." She smiled, turning to pull the hands from her shoulders around her, leaning her back against the feline, pinning her to the wall in effect. "Why do you think it was that despite my turmoil, all the things I've felt around you tonight, and that day we woke, nothing had gone awry?"

Jinx was caught by that, and would have nodded, said something had not the entirety of her world been forced down to the focus of a warm, willing Raven pressed up against her, moving like liquid desire, the lavender scent of her mingling with the wine and the night air. It was all she could do to keep herself from giving into to that impulse, to slip her hands...

"Mm, you're so unfair, and I'm trying so hard..." the Titan pouted, turning her face to the thief, her lips an offering. She took it without a second thought.

The pair parted their dance, the desire to throw caution and all restraint to the wind as the night drew on, but Jinx led the amorous empath out, into the car without much complaint. She had just settled Raven into her seat and gotten into her own when she was pushed back, her seat reclined suddenly and the convertible top moving into it's rain position when a warm, sighing weight settled on her hips.

"I really, really want to see you're new apartment," the Titan breathed against her ear, causing Jinx to shudder and run her nails unconsciously along the girl's bared thighs. _Goddess, don't look down, don't look, that hem cannot be..._ she looked, and Raven smiled, her hair a cascade across her features.

"Y-you, wore pink..."

Raven nipped at her ear, before settling back into her own seat, slowly arranging the hem of her dress more modestly. "For you, yes," she lilted, a smile painted along her features.

"Goddess, what have I done," the feline murmured, a grin creeping into her voice.

Smirking, Raven pulled the small butterfly clip from her hair, "Ask me that in the morning, I'll have a better answer."

"You're... so not going home tonight, you realize this don't you?"

"Yay."

The drive to Jinx's apartment was rather exciting, as the feline had to practically fight the Titan off, but their playing, teasing was anything but unwelcome. The two had spent so much time alone, so much of their recent time with the other dominant in their mind, it was only natural to indulge in their attraction.

Jinx was giddy with happiness to see Raven smile, laugh, actually be happy with her. The fact that the girl was less than subtly telling her that their mutual attraction was welcome, and likely to be acted on, only furthered her excitement.

Raven for her part, was drinking in the feline's emotions like another fine wine, her own emotions surging in response to her empathy resonating to the girl's heightened state. Her body was electrified from their often contact, and with her own realization that what she truly wanted, more than anything right now, was the girl beside her.

Pulling into the space near her apartment elevator, Jinx helped Raven out of the car, her sensitive state causing her some difficulty in keeping her balance. Or perhaps it was a ploy, the thief grinned, feeling cool fingers slip along the small of her back.

"Oh this outfit is no fair, there's no way under the top to get at you... wait." The Titan pulled Jinx around, her eyes fixing on the silver loop at the top of the collar.

Jinx's eyes widened in realization and she ducked, spinning out of the other girl's grasp and running toward the elevator, "Have to catch me first!" she called, noticing the how Raven was floating after her.

Keying the elevator to her floor, the held the door and was spun back against a wall as her date barreled into her, lips and teeth against her shoulder almost immediately. Keeping a weak control on her hands, the thief barely caught the curious glance of Brant as the doors closed, and his somewhat shocked expression at her state of...

Partial undress. "Raven, sweety, you just nearly had me flashing my bodyguard."

"I'll kill him later."

Sighing, the feline pulled her collar's zipper back up, much to the Titan's annoyance. "But that was pretty good, distracting me with that biting, while you... do that... again," hissing through clenched teeth, the thief slipped her hands up to tangle in Raven's hair, pulling the shorter girl in to a fierce kiss, pushing her back against a wall. Faint blue splashes of color outlined the pattern of sharp teeth on each shoulder, Jinx noted, offhandedly.

A muffled gasp met her lips as she bit, drawing at the blue-tinged lips the girl had been teasing her with all night. As the elevator signaled their arrival, the two stumbled free, and down the small hall to the room waiting for them.

Jinx nearly screamed at her door, as it was rejecting the key. Raven made a choice comment that even made the thief blush, and luckily the door gave way, before she could laugh about it.

"Sunshine, would you like something to drink, or the tour maybe?" She spun about, arms outspread at the walls as the two wandered into the living room. Raven tilted her head and considered it a moment, feeling the warm blanket of the wine slipping from her.

It didn't matter in the least, with her mindset, she grinned at the feline who smiled back. "Rum and coke, and maybe you can show me where you keep dessert, since we neglected it at the restaurant."

Raising a brow, Jinx decided to have one as well, to finish off the night. Pouring them both healthy – meaning excessively large – cups of the strong beverage, they strolled around, the apartment. Pointing out the small details, Jinx led Raven by a hand, her thumb moving languidly over the palm she held.

Grinning back mischievously, she paused in the living room once more, sighing expansively for show, "And that's all of it, I hope you-"

"Nope."

Raising a brow, she tried to hide her grin, "Hm? Did I miss something?"

Walking within an inch of the feline, Raven leaned up and kissed her, once, a lightly chaste brush of lips compared to their earlier heated displays. The smell of liquor on her breath made a heady contrast in Jinx's mind. "You didn't show me where I would be sleeping tonight."

"You're sleeping tonight?"

"Touche"

"If you insist..." She decided that it was a good time to show Raven the bedroom.

Raven woke slowly, her mind foggy still from the night's... smiling she turned and licked at the lips of her recent lover. "Jinx, are you asleep?"

"Not any more Sunshine," the feline murmured softly, turning to bury her face in the smaller girl's violet hair. "How are you...?" Her voice carried a small edge of fear, uncertain if Raven was as happy this morning – or was it still night? – with how how things had turned out.

"Look at me, Jinx," the girl said quietly, and she did. Violet eyes were framed in azure hair, watching her with a smile barely contained, she could see. They glinted that way when she was being stubborn and not letting herself smile. "You can tell, can't you?"

Nodding silently, Jinx relaxed, falling back against her bed with a sigh. "I can, but I just worry. You never drank before, so I wasn't sure this morning you'd be so happy with having slept with the enemy."

Raven giggled slightly, crawling up the lithe form of the girl she adored. "In Vino Veritas, Jinx. I meant everything I said, and said I wanted. And you were such a gracious host..."

Feigning distress, the thief raised a hand to her brow. "Who knew the calm, stoic Raven of the Titans was a fiend rivaling me? Who knew I was a fiend in fact... nevermind. Are you hungry?"

"Mhm," the Titan purred, contently snuggled against Jinx's side, clasping one toned arm between her breasts, knowing how feeling her affected the pretty thief.

Mouth suddenly dry, Jinx met violet eyes with slitted coral, "Shall I call for some food?"

Smirking, the Titan shook her head. "After breakfast maybe."

"I've created a monster."

"Grr, grr."

The second time they woke, the two simply lay, watching the sun rise up and over the windows. It started on Raven's side of the bed, almost as if planned, and lit her hair in a haze of blue flame around her head. Jinx smiled as the light picked out small details on the Titan's face, reminding her so much of that morning.

The day she knew there was someplace deep, secret and special, that only Raven belonged. Belonged only to the Titan. The day she named her Sunshine.

Violet eyes met coral, and the light seemed to refract along the recumbent feline's irises. Raven stared deeply into Jinx's eyes, watching the way they shifted color in the growing sun. She'd at one point felt it was some trick of genetics, like albinism that made the girl's eyes pink, but here she could clearly see otherwise. Where those eyes held a lack of pigment, Jinx had much, all of it varying shades, from violet to the light coral she normally felt best described those cat's eyes.

The same was true of her hair, and with a content smile, Raven slipped a hand up and ran her hand through a fall of the thief's locks, Jinx's shivering intake of breath eliciting a grin of her own.

"Good morning."

"Yeah, it is," Raven replied, her eyes dancing in the morning sun. Something clicked, a small part of her attention drawn inward and her smile grew. She felt... peaceful. Calm. No rush of emotion, no chaos in her mind. She simply... was. Oh, she was happy, there was this feeling, like a low hum that seemed to fill her up. It left her warm, content. Jinx watched this with an unreadable expression.

If Raven had focused on the teen laying beside her, limbs still entwined from sleep, she could have read her as easily as a book. She didn't need to, though.

Jinx's smile went crooked, "Sunshine, I just realized something," the thief began, leaning forward to brush her lips lightly across Raven's forehead.

"Mm?" Raven simply lay, absorbing as much of that languid warmth as she could into herself. Memorizing the feel of the sheets. The warmth of the sun on her back. The feel of Jinx's breath, still smelling faintly of wine and herself. Shivering at that realization she arched a bit closer to the warmth the girl offered.

"We're just really lousy at finishing conversations, is all." She giggled, surprised to feel Raven's slightly chill fingers sweep up her side. "Keep... getting sidetracked," the girl managed, between little gasps.

"Grr grr."

"Shut up and kiss me."

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Next chapter - The aftermath, conversations on bars and the nature of truth, and recent events. Fee returns, and perhaps Robin has some things to say as well. Act Three closes soon, and so begins Act Four: _**Razors and the Dying Roses**_

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A/N: Out of character? Feh. _YOU_ try to repress, refuse and redirect your emotions for nearly eighteen years, then be offered that one outlet, one opening to release it all. Add to it Raven's impending fatalism regarding her father, and... well. That's as much explanation as I feel like. 

Wine reference should be taken as a suggestion. Montelena is an amazing vineyard, local to California.

Dio Deka is an actual restaurant in the Los Gatos suburb of San Francisco, resident of the Joie de Vivre Hotel. I suggest the Paithakia, but a warning. It's a lot of lamb. Enjoy with a friend.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: All DC characters are owned by their owners, none of which happen to be at this moment. Brant and Fee are mine. Some other people too. Not that you'd need them anyway. **

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Warning: Ideally, if you're here, you have read chapter 15. If this is not the case, then I reiterate – There are female-centric, romantic themes here._

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In the company of friends, the darkest days can seem bright._

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_**  
Act Three: In Darkest Night**_

**Chapter Sixteen**

_I Justice League Satellite, _Refuge_ I_

The halls of the satellite were usually very peaceful, and the people, super or otherwise, who tread there were rarely in a rush, or moved with more than a passing sense of purpose. Haste was for missions, for emergencies and deadlines. To many this place was home, and as such, it was respected.

Some days shot this theory strait to hell.

Zatanna was nursing a wicked headache when her League communicator beeped insistently, laying as it did in her quarters on the table. Rising with a breathed curse at all things electronic, particularly the ones that made noise, she checked the small thing, a sense of dread growing in her stomach.

_A meeting. How long was it since they had one? _J'onn J'onzz, The Martian Manhunter had a tight hold over most workings of the Refuge, and the League itself usually, functioning as a fulcrum point. He was organizer, switchboard and sentinel for much of the League's present endeavors. _A meeting means something unknown was going on. Or something big_. Zatanna sighed and retrieved her top hat, making her way along with a few of the other present heroes to the vast meeting hall the satellite offered. The first person she met, and felt the desire to speak with, was John Stewart, the current Green Lantern for Earth.

"Morning John, how'd the trial go last week?" she asked, trying to find some smalltalk to distract herself with, her anxiety over the meeting rising as they neared the hall.

He smiled ruefully, sighing quietly in the press that was quickly forming during their walk. "Not so well. Collateral damage issues and some police anger over "Capes" interfering in due process caused a jury upset. Lost the conviction on that one."

Zatanna laughed quietly, dark hair shaking with her head, at the thought. Stewart regarded her with a raised brow, his expression growing annoyed. "Sorry, John. Just always amuses me how ineffectual legal systems can get, when personal issues are involved."

"Regardless we must use and rely on them. Vigilante tendencies are as frowned on as outright criminal behavior, by the League." The Lantern furrowed his brow and regarded the witch beside him. "How goes the search for the missing girl, Jinx, speaking of going solo."

"Fine."

"Well then, so how is she doing?"

"Fine."

John rolled his eyes and continued down the corridor. "Despite what you may think, she's not the sole reason for this meeting," the man said after many moments of silence. "But... I do think all things considered, if there was anything you could tell us..."

Sighing, the witch reached up and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "Listen. Really listen, ok?" Despite the call to meet, and the other's moving to the hall, Zatanna stopped and crossed her arms. "I've tried to find her, tracked her all over the east and west coast. I grilled Kent about her, and even had a... discussion with the Voodoo King," shaking her head, she leaned up against one of the corridor walls.

"Jinx either doesn't want to be found, which I can respect as long as she's playing nice, or she's dug herself into so much trouble even I can't find her."

The Lantern looked at her skeptically but shrugged and continued on. "Well, it'd be better if we knew something. It may just help with what we're here about today." The finality in his tone was followed with the man leaving her behind, purposefully striding the distance to the hall doorway before them.

_Why do I feel like I've been left out of the loop_, Zatanna wondered, following the few stragglers into the conference room and finding the seat set out for her. Shortly after her arrival, the meeting came to order and three of the assembled moved to the forefront, causing her already nervous stomach to sink lower.

J'onn J'onzz, John Stewart, and Kent Nelson. The Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and Dr. Fate, as they were commonly known, regarded the room in silence for some small while. Zatanna noted with a growing sense of dread that Kent came in, and remained, with his helm on, indicating he was acting on the behalf of Nabu, the Agent of Order.

The gold and blue armor of the Doctor glinted slightly in the harsh convention room light, but it was the white eyes flaring behind the otherwise featureless mask that drew their attention. "The Manhunter will be presiding shortly. In this prelude, I would ask you all to review and make any appropriate notation on the two individuals whom you will be presented with shortly."

The screen, usually used to detail maps and large scale points of interest as well as photos and images for the assembled, flared to life. Presented to the assembled League was an image of Raven, her hood drawn up full with her four demon's eyes glinting scarlet from beneath. More images cycled; various battle footage, imagery of her powers at work, flight, various images showing successful and otherwise tactics.

Zatanna felt like it was a military briefing on a potential target she was watching.

"This is Raven, also known as Rachel Roth, currently a member of the Teen Titans West," the green skinned Manhunter began. Heads swiveled to pay rapt attention to his discussion, all but one. Zatanna's forehead beat repeatedly on the table in front of her, hoping she'd wake from this impending nightmare before it got worse.

"In seven days, according to her own and other accounts, an interdimensional being of enormous power, her biological father, will utilize that blood bond to use the girl, making a portal, and entering this dimension." J'onn's usually emotionless voice was clear in the room, but many were already whispering at this point. "As always, please speak up when you have a question."

A hand went up to Zatanna's left, and a voice, hushed and not very directed was barely heard, "What is the nature of this 'power', that is in question?"

The Manhunter nodded to the speaker, answering, "Demonic, we believe."

Another hand, another voice. "What has Etrigan to say of this?"

The current Lantern Corps representative, Stewart spoke to this, "Being a demon from what can only be considered a different dimension, rather than one of Hell or Stygian origin, Etrigan has little idea of Trigon's powers and abilities. The potential threat of this being is, at this time unknown."

Murmuring went up and spread across the room at this revelation, as well as a stir of recognition. Without being recognized by those on the floor, a voice rose to speak. "Trigon? This one isn't new. He's the focus for the Church of Blood."

The Manhunter and the Lantern looked to one another and the Martian fixed his gaze on the speaker. "Constantine, what did you just say?" Zatanna stopped banging her head on the table and instead contemplated the merits of a pencil through her eye.

A somewhat older man in a thread-worn trench coat, blonde hair and a cocky set to his face, a Silk Cut cigarette pinned behind an ear stood and coughed loudly into a fist. Leaning back and stretching his back the man regarded the assembled with a smirk. "Odd that, all this super-whatnot and not one of you with a damn tick of street smarts. Pity." Shaking his head the man continued, not a few people glaring his direction now.

"Church of Blood. Stupid cult full of stupid cunts. Pretty bollocks if you ask me, which you did," he reached as if to pull the the cigarette from behind his ear, but hesitated and snorted. "Ran by a loon named Sebastian Blood I think. Has the shawl of Christ or some such rot. Makes him a leech and a right sodding bugger."

As this tirade drew out, J'onn's expression darkened while the Lantern's eyebrows rose. Finally the ex-Marine could stand no more, "Constantine. The point man. How do they relate to Trigon?"

Constantine looked at the man like he'd been kicked off a curb by his comment, then threw up his hands and sighed. "Bloody. Was getting to it, but have as you like," he muttered, staring skyward, at least up, for some support or perhaps understanding. "Seems the lot have a likening to him, wants to raise him, bear his child, some other such rot. Was a rumor a while back that one lass'd been ah, how to say." Grinning widely the man adjusted his lapel, "favored, by the fellow. She escaped and hasn't been seen since. Might be yon lass is the result."

Nodding, the Manhunter acknowledged the occultist's words with a wave. "Thank you, Constantine, that's helpful," the Martian said, his words portraying too much appreciation. The aging blonde man snorted and sat again, hand drifting over his ear briefly before falling slack at his side.

"So it seems that Trigon has had his plans set on us for some time," Stewart concluded, his tone grim. "This only means our enemy is prepared, and possibly aware enough of our situation to anticipate preventive retaliation.

"There are also concerns recently voiced from Oa, Lantern Corps headquarters, about some information gathered from various sources regarding Trigon," the man continued, his expression becoming more grim. "As you are all aware, the previous Lantern agents for this sector, Jordan and Rayner are dealing with internal issues, revolving around the "Yellow Impurity" in the Central battery on Oa." Turning to the Martian, Stewart took a seat, looking worn.

The green skinned man took over the podium without pause, "Indeed, this "Yellow Impurity" has been a consistent issue for the Lantern Corps for some time, and it has recently been found that the true source for this is a being called Parallax, who has long since been entombed inside the battery by the original Oans." Murmurs rose at this announcement, calling into question the relevance to present issues, as well as some conjecture. Motioning for silence, the humanoid before them waited to continue.

"The critical point of this reference is that we believe, by cross referencing the information recently gathered by dealing with Parallax that Trigon may be a similar being," the Martian continued. "Where Parallax is a being of and fueled by fear, and has for eons been contained within an energy band in the yellow visible spectrum inside the battery, that color has been a weakness for the Lanterns." Clips were shown, some fuzzy with bad resolution, some clear and crisp. They all detailed various points at which the teen Raven fell into a rage and exhibited the strange duplex eyes that always seemed common, with that state.

"We believe that the being Trigon is a similar power-based being. But instead of fear, he relies, exploits and feeds on rage."

A hand went up and a voice called out, "But they why doesn't the Lantern corp have issues with well... red?"

"Simple," Stewart stated, a half smile on his lips. "Trigon's not in the battery."

"Oh. Right," the voice fell silent.

"How does this help us, and what have we gathered, in information, about Parallax that can be relied on to assist us with Trigon?"

Nodding to the speaker, John fielded the question. "What we know, and have gathered from the few probing attempts by the elder Lanterns and other dimensionally sensitives we have, is that like Parallax, Trigon needs a host, to act outside his prison dimension. That or a portal."

Zatanna, head down and resting through most of the discussion, was none the less listening, gathering information and thinking hard as time passed. Strands of what she knew, and what were mentioned were coming together, and she was anxious to leave, to get back to earth and try her plans. _Provided I'm let free to do so_, she added to herself.

"We believe, rather than a portal, that Trigon intends to make Raven a host to his consciousness. We've been in contact with her mother, Arella, who was as Constantine so succinctly pointed out, the victim of one of the cult's activities." Putting the monitors in standby, the Martian stood silently a moment. "Apparently she was given a device that was used to assist the girl in splitting her personality into fragments, separate emotions, that were able to confront the influence of Trigon, and allow the girl a relatively normal childhood."

"At the cost of destroying her mind?" Zatanna shot out, suddenly angered at the way the collected council was referring to the teenager like some... car problem! A gutter that needed cleaning. She was not only disgusted at the callous and cool way things were being handled, but the gallows attention that was paid, disregarding the girl's well being.

"Apparently the Azarathean Temples taught her many techniques to control her errant passions and keep those emotions from taking control of her demonic powers," the Lantern tried to correct, only to be laughed at by the woman.

"You mean to say, they taught her to stifle and bury them, repressing them to such a point that there has always been, and is now even, the threat of her reaching a critical mass from it and losing control," standing now, Zatanna pointed at the blank screen, her magic pulling Raven's visage back into view. "Lets not forget what we we're discussing here isn't some thing, but a young girl who's been basically beaten into believing she's nothing more than an extension of her father's domination plans. M'kay?"

"Zatanna, please. Let us continue in an orderly fashion," Nelson stated quietly, his voice reverberating hollowly inside his helm.

Snorting and making a few comments about what he could do with orderly fashions under her breath, she sat down and resumed her previous task. Breaking all the points off the pencils in her provided cup.

J'onn scanned the faces turned to him, noting how their attention had been released from the witch and was back on the podium. "Yes, we are considering that. But with the facts as they are, there's little enough we may be able to do, to prevent Trigon's advent. We simply don't have the information needed, or possibly even the means, to prevent it."

Stewart stood and with his back to the assembled, spoke, his voice solemn. "I hate to admit it, but until we actually see what Trigon is capable of, we may have no idea how to deal with him

"And the only way to do that, as it stands, is to allow this advent of his rebirth, to occur."

Zatanna bit back a curse she felt welling up, her hair rising slightly in a static wind around her. Forget that she'd been in the know about this ages ago. Forget the fact she'd turned the girl down for League assistance, realizing early on this was precisely what would happen. Forget the guilt and anxiety such a... death sentence left on her soul for it, and the fact she'd maybe, just maybe been so supportive of Jinx after hearing about her connection to Raven.

Raven was just a girl. A teenager. Her life wasn't behind her, a thing to look back on. It was all before her, and if this council of old bastards wouldn't do anything to ensure she saw it...

"...next order of business to bring to the League's attention revolves around that Omega level event, detected in New York earlier this week."

_Well, fuck._

"We've traced the event and subsequent 'aftershock' events to one, Jennifer Wrangler, formerly a student of Brother Blood under his secondary objective, the Hive." Zatanna's stomach dropped as she realized just how bad this could be. If what they'd heard of Sebastian Blood were true, and the stories she had heard herself from Jinx, then there was more than a vague threat that the madman could have been using not only the Hive, but Jinx to reach Raven.

_Could still be using Jinx. Better and better,_ the witch grumbled, fingers worrying at the edge of her tophat.

The Martian continued, images on the display now outlining key points in Jinx's career under the Hive. "Her abilities to this point have been stated as being a mild affinity for probability manipulation, and a slight grasp of elemental sorcery," he stated, and Zatanna nearly laughed, her own forgotten reports on the girl's progress now a blessing in disguise. _Reports that will stay lost,_ she mused.

"If I may speak, J'onzz?" Doctor Fate interjected, rising to his feet. Suddenly, the dark haired witch regretted the one meeting she had with the man, about her missing student.

Signaled to continue, the gold helmed Doctor addressed the assembled. "If the threat of Trigon were not dire enough news, I must apologize for this announcement. It has come to my attention that with the passing of Mordru, the most recent and prominent Lord of Chaos, that the forces of that sphere will be looking to find a new champion. A new host and avatar."

_Damn you, damn you damn you,_ Zatanna railed, her mind a hurricane of thoughts. _Had to blow this up, blow the lid off and make this a bigger mess that it already is._ Sighing the woman slumped and tried to see if there was a hole, some loop she could tie up in this mess that would make it a recoverable situation. She was having trouble keeping that hope, as time passed.

"I believe," Nelson, his voice an demeanor that of his position as the representative of Order, the influence of Nabu driving him, went on resolutely. "That with the divinations I've been doing recently, this one Jenifer Wrangler is likely to be chosen as the next successor to that seat."

"That girl? You're joking me," a voice scoffed, one the witch recognized. Argent, the woman figured, at the immature tone they'd spoken with.

"Yes, this girl." Motioning for the video to continue, they all watched as the pale Jinx not only evaded, but repulsed the combined attacks of the Teen Titans, her ducking, weaving and dodging a testament to the air of luck that was said to be her talent.

"So she's taken ballet and has good balance," Argent scoffed, unconvinced. "Why would they choose her as a Lord of Chaos?"

"Keep watching," was Fate's only answer.

Then the video slowed down, and they saw the implications of what was being said. Impossibly, the girl managed to find that one in a million chance of evasion. A lucky punch, kick or throw. A slip on the right foot to avoid a crushing blow. Her hexes degrading the area and making it more hazardous, more to her advantage. She was a walking improbability. Every time there was a sure bet, someone would groan, the girl having found ever improbable ways to avoid it.

The implications were clear. They became dire a moment later.

"Here are the Hive records, as were retrieved from the Titan's mole in the Academy Blood ran." Information was scrolling there a moment, then a video feed was shown.

Jinx sat, her head restrained with an eyepiece over her head. Zatanna's gorge rose at the scream the girls face was locked into, the heaving of her chest and the trickle of blood coming from her nose, her mouth. She had been screaming for hours, it seemed. "We believe that like most of his... students, Blood used massive amounts of hypnosis to tailor the Hive teams to achieve his goals."

"What does this have to do with her, though? So she was brainwashed, wouldn't that make her less dangerous?"

"Watch and see for yourself."

Video surveillance was now in the place of the previous feed. A street corner, nondescript. Zatanna noted the address, and her eyes widened. _No! No way..._

Then the view seemed to bend, distort and a shockwave rolled off the point where a... being simply was, then. It was like looking at someone's photograph, in a negative. Only rather than black and white, the colors were a neon, sickly violet and midnight black, one that seemed deep and depthless.

And it was very, very obviously Jinx.

"What the hell...?"

"We believe, from reports, that the girls is slowly breaking down her brainwashing and feeling out her full potential." The video played on, and the figure was almost comically skipping backwards, before simply fading from view.

The room went quiet. They all remembered Mordru, the previous Lord of Chaos and the madness his many attempts at full godhood had caused. And here, a girl with gifts that put her as a massive threat, before the mantle of Chaos was laid on her... "What kinds of things can she do," a quieter voice, one she realized was the young Flash's, asked in the silence.

The Martian looked at him, and his smile was rueful. "From what we've gathered, it depends on the fact there may be chance involved."

A man stood, clearing his throat and blinking nervously in the light. "Sorry, but you realize how... utterly dangerous that girl is, don't you?"

"Explain your statement please."

"Well, lets think of this a moment. Chance, is fundamental to our current idea of the way the universe works. The atomic model science uses, places electrical orbits as chance occurrence of observation. Our entire basis of observation, of experimentation on the fundamentals of the universe is based on the idea of probability!"

When the collected League simply sat, absorbing this the man slammed his fists into the table. "Alright, let me make this clear. What are the chances of a spontaneous nuclear explosion happening due to stray, ambient radiation?"

With people began muttering, and the tone began to be panicked the man smiled, nodding. "Exactly! One in a billion! Less even! But this... walking bomb, this girl is like the detonator to that bomb. If there's a chance it could happen, she could achieve it. She would just need the key situation, that chance, however small, however remote to exploit."

Zatanna simply felt the man was buying into the League's senses of the apocalyptic and dramatic, to fuel his own theatrics. Frankly, his suggestion was so off of Jinx's normal behavior it was laughable. The girl had no desire to destroy.

A memory, burned into her mind from the mirror in Midnite's club surfaced. Jinx, dancing along the strings of fate, bunching and ripping them asunder. She shook her head hard, getting the attention of Stewart who had been watching her carefully, noting her silence during this portion of the meeting.

"Something on your mind, Zatanna?"

Glaring daggers at him, she stood, placing her hat on and evening out her breath slowly. "Why yes, yes there is."

Motioning for her to go on, the woman smirked her best and decided that if the cards are on the table...

"Seeing all you have are guesses on what's going on, let me clue you in, having been the person to turn Raven away, and then teach Jinx myself," with those words, she had the hall, and she walked along the wall to the front of the room, her demeanor shifting to her more comfortable stage manner easily.

_This is work, so let put on the uniform,_ she mused, pulling the mentality of her role as one of the Sentinels of Magic. "For one, Jinx is a kind, well meaning if mislead and somewhat spurious girl. She would never 'set us up the bomb', as our paranoid companion would have you believe."

Smirking at the man's annoyance, she continued, undaunted. "Second, there's a number of small, basic facts you're missing in the big picture here." Pulling up the files they had, she began correlating the data in to a map and time reference. "First off, Jinx has been traveling a lot recently, seeking information. Now, why would she do that..." Staring pointedly at the Lantern, she smiled widely.

"As it turns out, she had befriended Raven, despite their rivalry for some time," the murmurs took on a new pitch, one of panic and anxiety. She stifled a satisfied smirk and continued, reaching for the gasoline, seeing the fire was nice and healthy...

"Well, I should say more than friends. You see, Jinx is in love with Miss Roth, and I believe the feelings to be somewhat mutual. Jinx's globe hopping were attempts to find a way to stop Trigon."

Silence met her, and she grinned. "It gets better! You see that little street corner? Firestone and Elm. Constantine! Name the only notable place on that corner."

"No way you daft witch, not like these plebeians need to know that kind of info," he snapped, looking around him with a sniff. "No offense."

"Fine, I'll tell them. The girl learned of the location of someone particularly suited for the information she needed, from Midnite in the 13th Hour, where I visited him-"

Fate interrupted her, his voice booming suddenly, "Which we have a complaint from, not only from the owner, this Midnite, but from various high orders of influence, I'll remind you. All about you, I may add."

Shooting the gold helmed avatar a withering glare, the witch continued, "So then, Jinx, visiting Midnite, not only woke up her Omega level abilities, putting her on par with you briefly Nabu, but she also learned of the location of the one being in the universe, best versed in the comings and goings of demonkind."

Leaning her chin on interlaced fingers, Zatanna could feel their attention, their tension. _Like marks in the tent_, she mused._All we need now is to drop the sheet and show them the main attraction._ "Lucifer Morningstar. Former ruler of Hell."

"What?! You knew this and withheld it from the League?" Fate boomed, his entire form rimmed in yellow force.

Snorting, the witch shook her head. "Knew? 'Course not. Guessed maybe. That little home movie clinched it." Smiling she stood tall, affecting her stage persona still. "So you see, this little paranoia fest is really gotten good hasn't it? Feel satisfied, gentleman? You thought you had just some half-demon girl with an abusive father and a little girl with a bit of luck who may, _may_ I point out, be slated for bigger and stranger things, but what you have...

"Is all hell breaking loose, and there's no way you can keep this under control."

"You're wrong, Zatanna. We have to act."

"What do you propose to do? Imprison Jinx? Chance, John." She shook her head. "She'll be out, regardless of where you put her, in a moment. That's now, and if she's the heir of Mordru? You have no idea what kind of enemy you'd make, if you went after her now. She's not against us, in fact she only left due to you're slip up."

"That's not fair and you-"

"Don't talk about fair to me! What were you planning for these two?" Zatanna's blue eyes drilled into the green of the Lantern, daring him to lie, to sugar coat the situation.

"We hadn't planned anything. Observe Raven, and the following event. We have no choice there. Keep tabs on Jinx, maybe see if she can be detained before the mantle of Chaos is handed to her."

Shaking her head, the woman pointed to the screen, the inverse image before her. "I think it's too late for that. In fact, I think it's too late to do anything, against them."

"How do you mean?"

Smiling, she leaned on the podium again. "If you act against Raven, or deny her help, you make an enemy of Jinx. Jinx, were she to take on the full power of a Lord of Chaos, would devastate the world worse than Mordru. She has all of the world's luck at her beck and call." Pointing to the smiling, mischievous grin that the girl wore like a summer hat, the witch continued. "You'd make another Mordru in fact, where if we work correctly, we can have an ally of her."

"Fate, is that... possible?"

Considering the witch a moment, the gold helm nodded. "Chaos and Order are not enemies; only fundamental forces of existence. Will determines action. If Jinx, as Zatanna says, is good, then she will simply represent her nature, and in that balance will be made. She will work to instill and spread chaos, which is also natural. Without that seed of change, the universe stagnates. I am no fool; I am aware of the balance I represent."

"As for Raven," the witch continued, bringing up more images for them to view. "It's obvious the girl not only has access to her blood's power, but that her emotions are tied to them. I have a feeling, that if we enraged this girl by acting against Jinx, we'd have not only Trigon to look forward to, but possibly his daughter at his beck and call. Or the girl simply accepting the beast and taking on the mantle of his power herself."

The Martian considered her words. "Indeed, if what we learned of Parallax does apply to Raven, then if she willingly gives herself to her rage, and accepts Trigon, then her power will simply augment his." Shaking his head, he sighed. "We were wagering, hoping in fact, that her reluctance, her sadness over his return will weaken the spell."

"It will," Zatanna added with a nod. "But if you force her hand, you'll have her lashing out in the most dire way." She grinned at the assembled, most seeming bemused, or outright lost at their host's bickering.

"What do you suggest we do then," Stewart groused, his green tinged glare challenging.

Zatanna's lips curled slightly, mimicking her student's Cheshire grin. "Why, we help them, of course."

Not phased, the man regarded her critically, "What makes you think they have a plan, or a chance of one?"

"Simple, really," the witch stated in a matter of fact fashion. "Jinx stopped looking for answers. She obviously has a plan, and she's even gone to meet with Raven. You don't plan dates when you're expecting to not make them, interdimensional demons and Lords of Chaos somewhat ruin the ambiance.

"And if I'm not mistaken, whatever plan she received in talking with the Morningstar, could very well be as dangerous in the long run as their combined threat."

Constantine slapped the table and scoffed, "Too right there, that old buzzard only has eyes for what makes his plans go forward."

The Manhunter looked between the two and furrowed his brow. "Are you serious, in having us believe that his... Lucifer exists?"

At least two faces showed incredulity at this question. First to speak was actually Fate, barely cutting off the dark haired witch who was bristling at being basically called a liar. "He does, it's an accepted fact that the Presence's tools are still about and functional."

"So then," the Martian continued. "What could he have given her, or discussed with this Jinx that could solve Raven's issue?"

"I'll let you know once I talk to her."

"Absolutely not!" Roared Fate, his form rippling as he floated above the podium, imposing and graceful at once, his armor glinting in the light there. Zatanna looked at him as if he were an errant mosquito.

Sighing she shook her head slowly, "Really, Nelson. Which side do you think I play for here?" The wind seemed to fail below the man, and he dropped to the floor, his gaze shifting about confusedly.

"How do you mean, Zatanna?"

"Nelson, you're a dear friend, but that whole Lord of Order thing has you dense as a brick sometimes," the woman began, reaching out and laying a hand on his shoulder. "I've always been one to side with the chaotic, Kent. It's just how I am.

"And with the possibility that my errant student could be cast into the opposite of that role, and what it could do to her, I have to help."

Nodding slowly, the Doctor sat, his form seeming to loose some of it's sound and fury. She watched him sadly, feeling the tenuous strands of their friendship straining under her assault today.

Stewart looked Zatanna over with a hard glare. "You think you can handle all this yourself?"

She laughed hard at that, almost gasping for breath after the fit had left her. "Goddess no! I was actually planning to drag your green carcass with me, John."

Surprised, the Lantern blinked at her a few times. "Why? You didn't seem to like the idea of us interfering earlier."

"Interfering is one thing, going to offer help is another."

He accepted this and nodded, agreeing. "Alright, then who else?"

"Could use Constantine-"

"Oh hell no! Don't drag me around in this, you already said ol'Nick is involved, so that makes me doubly out! Besides, don't go counting me in on this Just-us League bollocks, I'm here as a consultant." Finished with his tirade, the man slumped into his coat, muttering quietly. "Daft witch."

"Keep it up, you sanctimonious asshole, and you'll be working your kundalini chakra with a latex-"

"Ey, now. No need to get into ultimatums," the man, pale with the threat still hanging over him, backpedaled. "I'll help out, just you know, as an outside resource. Got no ties here."

"Fine. On for Saturday then?"

"Yeah, sounds fine. I'll bring the wine."

"Make it a Shiraz, I hate that white stuff. Like sugar water."

"Right."

Stewart watched the exchange, reminded of nothing so much as a game of psychological table tennis. "Anyone else, Zatanna? Or just us three?"

Laughing quietly, she chided the Lantern, "Tsk, you really don't look at the big picture, John."

"What do you mean," the man, tired of her double talk and stage conversation was letting a growl creep into his voice.

Zatanna heard this and grinned all the larger, her posture going fluid and languorous against the podium. "Well for one, Raven's Titans will likely not be please to be left out... and then there's whatever resources Jinx herself, has or will have."

"Great, now I'm working with teenagers."

"Hey, you called the meeting." Zatanna gave him her best winning smile.

"I hate you so much right now."

J'onn J'onzz smiled at the Doctor, as the three made their way from the room. After a small pause in which the assembled were left to wonder what was left for them, a gavel sounded against the podium at the head of the room.

"Now, with that business taken care of, lets move on to other matters..."

_I San Francisco, Jinx's Apartment I_

Raven woke with the sound and smell of running water filling her nose, and blinked at the unfamiliar, warm bed she was coming aware in. The scent of peach and... pomegranate! That's the other fruit, she realized, was thick in the room, which meant...

A warm hand slid under the sheet by her hip and rested along it's curve, as Raven sighed and turned to gaze into coral cat's eyes with a slight grin. "Mm, morning."

Jinx grinned and shook her head, pink hair put up into a single ponytail. "Afternoon, but only barely." Her eyes went wide as the Titan bolted up off the bed almost is if launched and darted half the way to her discarded dress, before stopping and swearing loudly.

"Damnit, I forgot... ugh!" A chair by the desk in the room rattled faintly. "Oops, calming down, calming... down."

The thief grinned and shook her head slowly, "Get back in bed, you'll get cold. Or better yet, get a shower, and I'll be right back." Walking past Raven, she leaned in and stole the preoccupied girl's attention for a moment with a kiss. "And be here when I get back this time."

Raven rolled her eyes and decided that a shower would be nice, considering it seemed like the other girl had just stepped out of one. No sense smelling like the only person to have a very long night... Smiling at this thought, the girl shrugged, dropped the sheet and walked to the bathroom, inspecting the room with a clearer eye this morning.

She decided that whatever crime bosses made, salarywise, was pretty damn nice if they could live in a place like this. Stepping into the shower, the Titan winced at the feel of cold porcelain, and prayed the hot water wasn't slow, on this floor. In a moment she was rewarded, and mourning the amazing shower she had the last time at Jinx's apartment, she regardless enjoyed the heavier pressure and greater room this bath had.

She really had to get Cyborg to replace that tiny shower stall.

Deciding not to linger, considering she was lacking her communicator and it was getting close to a day since her last contact with the Titans, Raven cut her shower short and was done in record time. She had just emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her when Jinx came in from the other door, a battered, somewhat worn looking Titan's comm in her hand.

Raising a brow, the Titan took the offered device and gave it a brief once over. "Should I ask?"

Shrugging, Jinx went about making the bed. "You'd be surprised how many of those you guys left behind at various times. This one I think we actually lifted out of Cyborg's lab during that time we took over the Tower."

"I'm surprised Gizmo never cracked them."

Laughing, the thief finished her cleaning, then promptly bounced back onto the bed, squirming madly. "He did, just wasn't really worth using them for anything. Besides, the "Titan's Soaps" were a big hit in the dorms."

Blushing, Raven shook her head slowly. "I shudder to think what kind of things you voyeurs were looking for, from these things."

"Mostly ongoing bets on who was going out with who, and when," the feline smirked. "There was a pool on you and Beast Boy getting together."

Gagging briefly, the empath stared at the pink haired witch then blinked a few times. "Holy – you're not kidding. Oh. my. God." Suppressing a shiver she cast about for something to wear. "Hm."

Watching her with a smile, Jinx waited a few moments and finally asked, a lilt to her voice, "What'cha looookin' for?"

"I need something to wear, and that dress is wrinkled beyond help, to take back out in public, I think." Proving her point, the Titan picked up the article, undamaged but having suffered from being tossed on the floor and forgotten. "Remind me to undress myself next time."

"Hmph. Where's the fun in that?"

Smiling slightly, the Titan picked out a tank top and pair of shorts that were peeking out of a drawer. "Can I wear these for a bit?"

Nodding, Jinx flipped over so she was upside down, head hanging off the bed as she watched the pale girl across the room from her. "Sure, but you realized that top's going to look painted on with your bust, right?"

"Complaining?"

"Me?" Snorting the girl laughed quietly. "No, but I may just have to hex a certain green elf into pudding if he stares too long once you get home."

Raven giggled, her lip curling into a smirk. "You're cute when you're jealous."

"I'm also cute when being hugged. Now c'mere."

Laughing outright, the Titan flopped on the bed beside the perky witch, wrapping and arm around her waist and kissing her lightly. "You taste like... waffles. Are you holding out on me?"

Feigning innocence, the feline painted a hurt expression. "I'm sorry baby, but that one... it had blueberries, you know how I get around the color blue..." Grinning mischievously, she leaned up and nipped at Raven's lips gently, drawing a sigh from the girl.

"Yeah... they're still sore. You have sharp teeth."

Laughing, Jinx poked her in the tummy, "And you grow some, when you're-"

Raven took that as a queue to see how airtight the pillows were, when pressed against one's face.

"Mrphmmnaannnm – Gah!" Shaking hair out of her face, Jinx glared at the empath, sitting cutely with a pillow clutched to her chest. "Next time you wanna suffocate me, just use your hands."

"During or after?"

Tilting her head, the feline purred slightly considering the question. "During."

The two giggled and made their way to finish the waffles that Jinx had made some few hours before.

"I really think you could give Cyborg a run for his money with these," Raven murmured around a bite of waffle. She'd had three, and felt like one more couldn't hurt...

Pouting, Jinx poked her, making the Titan jump. "I see where you get them now. Damn your metabolism."

"Hey! You're the one who's built like Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee in platforms. With pink hair."

Jinx struck a pose, whooping and chopping at the air in comic fashion, as Raven smiled, watching the girl's antics. They finished breakfast, and moved back to the bedroom, deciding it was more comfortable to sprawl than sit for the time being.

_Too many waffles may have also been a good cause_, Raven mused.

The two laid beside one another, simply staring out the window for some time. "What did the Titans say when you contacted them?"

"I left a text message for Cyborg, he'll make sure everyone's calm or at least not psychotic when I get back," With a sigh, Raven closed her eyes. "I messed up, but I don't think it'll be too bad."

Jinx wrinkled her nose at her tone, and sniffed, "Can't you take a day off? I mean, damn. Is being a Titan a 24/7 issue?"

"More or less," the empath drolled, her voice stoic.

Shaking her head, the thief regarded her wardrobe blankly for a few minutes, laying on her stomach on the bed, feet pummeling her pillows. "I may be in bad taste saying so, but those Marks actually are kinda pretty."

Raven laughed quietly, ruefully once. "Yeah, they are. Maybe when this is all over I'll get something a bit less dramatic as a reminder."

"It totally needs a bunny in it."

"..."

"What, bunnies are cute, and can be rather evil, I'll have you know."

"..."

Jinx smirked, running her fingers along the branching arc of one pattern, tracing her fingers along Raven's forearm. The Titan closed her eyes and relaxed, the contact feeling less... tainted with her eyes closed. It felt odd watching the girl trace those Marks with an expression that almost spoke of appreciation. Like an actually well done Tattoo. "Sorry, but could you stop..." Raven turned her face away, her mind a small whir of conflicting emotions.

Flinching slightly, Jinx pulled her hand back, silently cursing her own lack of thought. "Sorry, Raven I just... sorry."

"It's ok. Hell I admit they have a nice design, but it's just what they mean, that bothers me."

Nodding against her hands tucked underneath her chin, Jinx stared out the window for a time. "I never really went into all the things that happened after I got back. Did you need to be going soon, or can you stay a while?"

Raven sighed, tucking the errant strand of hair behind her right ear. "I shouldn't go back just now, really. Cyborg will need a little time to get things sorted out."

"Mind if I... well talk about things a bit?"

Raven shook her head slowly, moving a bit closer to the warmth Jinx offered, a few inches away. "As long as you don't mind keeping me warm."

"Yeah, I'll get tired of that sometime this millenia," the quirky thief deadpanned. "So, pretty much after that whole fiasco at the Tower, with me in my work 'uniform', I decided to check up on a lead I got while on the satellite."

Watching the shadows shift on the ground in the sunlight, Raven nodded, "you mentioned seeing something about a journal, or something in one, but didn't say what, I think."

"Yeah, what I'd read was a small bit of Zatanna's journal, a passage about how whenever they needed information, whoever 'they' are, it always ends up being off to this club they go looking." Reaching out, Jinx pulled a sports bottle with Kool-aid to her and took a sip, offering it to the amused Titan. "Strawberry," the thief lilted.

"Gimme."

Laughing quietly, she passed the bottle on, and continued her tale. "Well, I had a place to try out. Problem was, it was in New York... well. Not so much, but still. Kinda made it a bit less appealing, considering the time."

Raven found that Jinx's preferred way of making Kool-aid was something akin to making syrup. "Uh. How can you drink this and not die?"

"I'll have you know I go through a few of those a day."

"..." Violet eyes stared, before breaking into a laugh. "No wonder you're all pink."

Snatching her drink back, Jinx groused, "I was born that way, thank you."

"I could tell."

Blushing faintly, she took a sip of her concoction. "Hush you.

"Anyway, so I caught a flight to New York, and from there to a place called _13th Hour_, a sort of lounge or club that the journal talked about." Jinx fidgeted with the spout, remembering some details of that particular part of the story she was hesitant to tell the Titan. "Hm."

As an empath, Raven picked up on this and furrowed her brow, looking over to the girl beside her, and how she was nervously playing with the sports bottle. "What's wrong?"

"It's just... there's some hazy parts, around here, and some odd ones. Things got strange, then stranger." Jinx's fidgeting grew, and Raven laid a hand along the girl's shoulder.

"It's ok. Just... take your time I guess," suddenly nervous herself, the empath tried unsuccessfully to quell her own nervousness at the feelings rolling off the girl. She knew a number of things had to have happened on her quest, and obviously some were causing her some hesitation.

"I'm fine. Just... hah. Maybe... nevermind." swallowing she grinned a bit at Raven and sat up, distancing herself from the Teen somewhat.

The move wasn't missed on the dark Titan, who sat herself, knees drawn up below her chin. Jinx cleared her throat, before rolling her eyes at her own anxiety. "Sorry... Well. I was in the lounge and looking for the person I'd heard about, a guy named Midnite. His assistant found me." Sighing quietly she ran a hand through her pink hair, eyes dropping somewhat. "Talking with Midnite was odd, and to get out of me what he needed, he drugged me."

"What?!" Raven started, her mind flying in different directions at the admission. "What happened? Are you ok-"

"I'm fine, Raven. I'm fine. Just during it all, I basically told an entire bar about us, and you, and your father, and me, not that I remember it all," she shook her head hard. "That isn't the part that was odd." Closing her eyes tight, she stilled her hands in her lap.

"The odd part was waking up next to a succubus the next morning."

A cold hand seemed to reach up and grip at Raven's heart, the fingers of another tracing around her throat, making it hard to breathe. Her mouth worked silently, slowly as her hands fell from their position around her legs. "But... Jinx?" Her eyes came up to find coral ones full of sadness so close.

"I didn't know how or why I was there. Nothing happened, but it was still... just odd. She came back here with me, for some reason." Her cat's eyes seemed panicked, wary as she reached for Raven's hand tentatively.

The Titan drew back like she was burned.

"Raven, I know nothing happened. Nothing... I just feel so guilty because – for all the world I never wanted to – I did want it." Sighing, the feline let her hand drop, and moved to the head of the bed. She threw a pillow off the comforter and leaned against the headboard, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

Raven's mind was a whir. She knew, could feel the raw guilt and anguish coming from the thief. Could feel the honesty in her words. Could also feel the pent up desire and want in her from those same experiences. How ironic, she mused, but refused to follow the thought, give in to more, and let that melancholy defeat her.

Swallowing despite a dry throat, the Titan got her breathing and heartbeat under control and looked to where her companion sat. Jinx hadn't moved, hadn't shown much desire to. She had feared this moment, on returning, but knew better than lie, or try to keep it from Raven.

Jinx wanted to know what it was they shared. Wanted to feel out this attachment that drove her, rode her as it did and caused her so much anxiety, hope, fear. And despite those feelings, she loved it all.

But this could break it all down. She knew it, feared it-

"Tell me. All of it. What happened." Raven's voice, again the cool, inflectionless monotone she hated so much. She'd not heard it since they'd fought nearly half a year ago.

The pink haired girl couldn't help it. Tears began rolling down her cheeks, pooling along her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling light, not seeing it at all.

"Fee put me under her glamor to get me into Midnite's office without incident. Then he and I talked, after a while I lost awareness and it was all done. I vaguely remember the incident after the drugged drink, but only that. Singing about you.

"I woke up in a room full of zombie guards, next to a sleeping succubus. She fed on my dreams that night, but nothing else. To show me what happened, while I was under the Voodoo King's influence, she kissed me, showing me the night through her eyes. Apparently this also made me immune to her glamor, after."

Raven started, after hearing about the kiss, her growing anger, sense of betrayal fading as quickly as it came, to be replaced by a sense of concern and worry. "Wait, stop. She kissed you, a succubus?"

Jinx only nodded slowly in answer.

"Jinx... that's how that kind of demon feeds. If she didn't kill you, or damage your soul in doing so, then," the Titan paused, a small chill working up her back.

A soft knock at the door interrupted their thoughts. Jinx almost called whoever it was to come in until she remembered with a jerk she wasn't at the Hive dorms. The knock was against her bedroom door, in her apartment.

Past Brant and all the security.

She was just sitting up to ask who it was when Raven flung a hand at the door, causing it to pop it's latch and fly open, the form on the other side stating so badly they nearly fell.

Raven regarded the gold-flecked skin with a growing sense of rage, while Jinx only felt like the world was adding another load upon her shoulders.

Fee glanced around once before seeing there was another girl on the bed with her mistress, and closed her eyes with a yelp. "Sorry! Sorry, I didn't know you had company."

"She doesn't. I was just leaving."

Panic laced through the feline as she shot up, wrapping her arms around the Titan, her face buried in her hair. She was trying, really she was, trying so hard not to cry. "Please, don't go. I never wanted this to hurt you, I never..." she trailed off as a small shudder worked it's way through the Titan's form, making her blink back more tears and sniffle back her own halting breath. "Raven?"

"... just let go of me."

"I won't," the thief whispered, closing her arms around the smaller girl more tightly to emphasize her point.

Sighing, Raven closed her eyes. She debated simply teleporting out of the room. Of making Jinx let go of her by wrapping the girl in her kinetic force, she even thought about lashing out at her, or the girl in the doorway, both of them. Instead she stared at the female before her, the succubus.

Who had dropped to her knees, her head bent and arms out at her sides. "Please. It was all my glamor. Jennifer did nothing wrong, she cares too much for you. You see it don't you?" Again, the form looked up and she noticed that her eyes were shut, cutting off her use of any glamor. "Please. If you must punish someone, punish me."

Raven stared, and realized she really didn't want to hurt anyone. She was hurting too much herself, and simply wanted to lash out, but in truth she wanted to hurt no one. "Who. Are. You."

Jinx closed her eyes tight but didn't let go, letting her restraint fall off and finally just crying silently against Raven's shoulder. The Titan stiffened, the feel of Jinx's tears hot on her skin, through the cloth of the borrowed shirt. Jinx's shirt, a small voice reminded her. Raven steeled her mind and reached up, taking Jinx's hand for a moment to detangle-

And felt the dizzying wash of vertigo from having herself plunged headlong into another's psyche.

When the blackness cleared from her vision, the initial impulse of the transition from physical world to mental jarring her, the girl blinked at her surroundings.

She sat, or leaned, or was supported by – it was hard to discern – nothing at all, simply suspended in air a number of yards above the landscape. For which she was faintly thankful for.

An ocean, a blue pearl of water that seemed as large as the Titan Tower itself, curled and washed about beneath her. The nothing around her, not air, or vacuum, or anything she could describe, spread out and seemed to be the all of this place. The only thing that disturbed that nothing was the drop of water before her.

The surface was ever disturbed, the refraction of light dancing madly across the surface as she peered at it. Inside the suspended ocean, something shifted. Her perception again went dizzying and she was, she knew, closer this time. The horizon of the globe was arching off to either side of her now, and the thing itself was no more than a arm's length from her.

Her reflection looked back.

A wave passed. She saw herself sleeping, serene.

A wave passed. Enraged, four slashes glowering from the shadows of her hood.

A wave. Smiling faintly, contently at something.

A wave. Sadness. Tears bled from her eyes, down her cheeks, burning.

A wave. Lust. Eyes glazed and mouth half open, breath coming in small puffs.

A wave. Excitement.

A wave. Denial.

A wav-

Raven slapped at the globe, her face a snarl of anger at having such a mockery of her nature thrust at her. That something, some mind could presume to have knowledge of her like that, could dare to assume that level of intimacy, only fueled her anger, and as the surface around her hand stilled, unusually fast for simple water, the Titan blinked.

A sense of wrongness swept over her as her perception was filled with the massive globes of water, as well as a sense of motion. Vertigo seized her again as the peculiar sensation resolved itself to gravity, and she realized with a start that she was falling.

The impossibly of the situation didn't halt it, and as suddenly as her appearance in and falling with this odd rain began it ended, with her impact into a body of water. Flailing about and trying to figure out what direction was up in this maddening world, she swam, and in a moment broke the surface of-

A small beach, the water about her waist deep as she stood, finding solid ground finally. Raven's eyes widened as she looked skyward, expecting to see the air full of those giant orbs of water, her imagination livid with the effects of one striking her as she stood on solid ground. She cringed as for a split moment a liquid refraction filled her sight, the image of herself in reflective on it's surface mesmerizing her.

Raven blinked as the raindrop struck her eye, a few of it's fellows against her hair and shoulders, the cool water a contrast to the warm beach she was still awash in.

The sky was overcast. No building-sized orbs hovered, or fell from the heavens that she could see. Shaking her head harshly, she dismissed her sense of panic and dragged herself out of the surf and onto the white sand of the shore. The beach seemed to go on endlessly in either direction, a razor's edge between water and sand. No waves disturbed it's surface, no scalloping of the sand showed they ever had.

"What a strange world," the Titan mumbled to herself, the sound fleeing from her as if caught in a harsh wind. Finally free of the colorless water, she stared back at the ocean she was recently in and stumbled, her eyes going wide in shock.

There, reflected in the sea, Raven saw another shore, opposing her own in the sky. What she'd taken for overcast clouds were in truth dunes, irregularities in the sand and beach above her head. The surf of that stretch of shoreline beat mercilessly against the land, foam and froth leading each wave as they washed, dragged at the exposed earth.

Directly above her, smiling a nightmarish Cheshire smile, was a figure made of black and neon light.

"Jinx, is that you?" Raven called, willing her power around her and her body into flight.

Gravity mocked her.

Frustrated, annoyed, confused and lost, the Titan lashed out with the only thing she had. "What's going on here!?"

Then she was pulled bodily from the earth, the rulered edge of shore flung away from her sight, as she held her hands above her head, expecting the impact against the opposing shore.

Time passed, and Raven opened her eyes. Before her, hanging in midair was the mirror's version of Jinx. Black eyes, with livid neon pupils stared into the Titan's own. "Jinx...?" He voice was strained and hoarse from the adrenaline lacing her veins.

The image regarded her silently, before it's mouth opened. And opened. Raven screamed as her world was outlined in the vivid black of the apparition's teeth before her own mind joined it.

Raven's eyes weren't working right. It seemed like she was looking through dirty glass. She blinked, and the sensation only became worse. Things moved, shifted around her, and the vague, undefined two-dimensional quality of the world made her stomach lurch. Closing her eyes again tight, she focused on her ears.

If anything, having the world filtered through a greasy blur of two dimensional nature by sound was even worse than sight. She blinked her eyes open again, trying to make sense of the moving shapes before her.

Time passed, and her motion sickness with it. Her eyes were getting accustomed to seeing things in this fashion, despite how disorienting. She finally picked out Jinx and the other female from earlier, Fee she remembered, speaking. They were-

Anger arced through her as the shape of a bed resolved itself. The room was ornate, huge, obviously a bedroom. Red sheets defined the pale feline's form in stark contrast easily. What raised Raven's ire, though, was the silently laughing girl from the shore, her fingers lanced into the pink hair of her lover, guiding her lips to those of the succubus before her.

The room spun dizzily and Raven was held, nothing more than a mute observer to the kiss. She felt something vague and wrong slap across her and realized whatever that ink-black form of Jinx was, it didn't like her.

It didn't like Jinx either. She felt the roiling, chaotic desire in it.

_Unmaking_.

The perception shifted and Titan was herself again, staring at the thing before her. That nightmarish image.

Raven felt a tug at her navel, and looked down, her eyes blinking in the unnatural light that lit this unplace she kept being pulled and tossed around in. A silvery, translucent thread ran from her navel, off into the nothing around her. It seemed to be pulled taught and held with tension from her body, but toward and connected to what, she had no idea.

Then the sickly icy feeling of the thing in front her, it's laughter, made her eyes jump upward.

A single filament of silver was in the thing's hand. A hand that seemed made of obsidian glass.

Raven screamed, something fundamental crying out inside her as that hand clenched tight, and pain filled every corner of Raven's mind, every iota of her being a victim of the atomic blast that was rolling into, across her. She felt the bones of her awareness laid bare in the wake of it, white hot and clean.

Something slick, greasy and _wrong_ crawled up inside her, from the base of her awareness up. It stretched, slipping it's glass fingers along the surface of the center of her mind. There, in the hub of Nevermore, five bleeding scores marked the ground of stone and sand impossibly. A smile stitched across the face of something that should not be, before a moment later an expression, something distantly related to confusion or shock warped it.

The apparition recoiled, drawn through nothing as if a tethered anchor was thrown forcefully away.

Slowly, feeling like nothing short of ground up inside a huge blender, Raven came back to awareness, wondering if this time she'd find herself in another impossible landscape, or her own mind, or worse.

"Raven, Sunshine, are you ok?" Pale fingers lay gently against her cheek, and a face swam into view. Pink eyes, slit like a cat's came into her view.

Raven screamed.

Jinx recoiled and sobbed, her hand snapping back to her side as she fell back on the bed. "Damnit, Fee what happened?"

"I don't know, I just don't know!"

Labored breath sounded from the bed, and the Titan's eyes darted around, recalling the room she was in. Recently familiar. Jinx's. The real one. Her throat felt burned, scarred but she still tried to speak, find a voice for her query, "Jenny?"

Jinx's attention snapped to the bed, and she lunged up and onto the thing, nearly upsetting Raven but Jinx didn't care. She said her name, she was alright.

She hoped.

Again Raven stared back into the normal, unlaced coral eyes of her erstwhile lover and let go of a halted, unsteady breath she didn't realize she'd held. "What... what was that?"

The thief ignored the question and snatched her up in a hug, crushing the slight frame of the smaller girl as she wept, her body shuddering slightly in the half light. "Are you ok, are you ok," the teen kept asking, her face buried in Raven's hair.

"I think so. Just... confused."

Fee rose and sat on the edge of the bed, watching the two through lidded eyes. "She was pulled inside your soul, Jennifer. She still bears the feel of it around her."

Jinx sniffled and turned to the demon with a question on her lips, but Fee went on. "Something there... tried to kill her. Or sever her. I'm not sure."

"How can you tell all this Fee," the thief asked, her arms never leaving Raven. The Titan meanwhile reached up and wrapped her fingers around the arm crossing her. Jinx made to let her go, a hurt look in her eyes but Raven held tight, shaking her head.

"Stay. Please stay..." Jinx did so. Her breath whistling slightly between the teeth that held her lips.

The demon moved slowly to the side near Raven, and pointed at the pale girl's navel. The two, still embracing looked down, the loaned shirt that she wore not covering the girl's midriff.

Blood trailed off from the depression there, falling in a single crimson thread to the already maroon cover atop the bed. Jinx hissed and recognized the symptoms Zatanna had described to her as the result of a psychic attack against the soul. "Who," was all she could manage, her teeth clenched behind pale lips.

The demon's mind worked at a frenzied pace, torn between her feelings, her impulses and her desire to calm her mistress. In the end, she sighed, deflating visibly and looking away for a moment. Fee looked at her with something akin to sorrow. "You, Jennifer." She looked away as the girl's face registered first disbelief then realization. "I'm sorry."

Raven clutched at her harder, expecting the girl to try and pull away, which she did. "Stop, Jinx, she's not quite right." She held on as tight as she could but her body was still recovering from whatever had happened, and the Titan was thrown to the bed by a sudden wrench from the thief.

"I have to go. I have to-" her voice cut out as Raven encased her in kinetic force and sat her on the bed beside her again.

"No, you don't. You do have to tell me about that... image of you. The one in negative," Raven trailed off, her hands reaching half the way to Jinx's own, her face an open book to the thief. The feline hesitated for a long moment and nodded once. Reaching a hand out to find Raven's, she relaxed against the force around her and was pulled back beside the reclining Titan.

Fee sat to the side, feeling invasive to the pair. She couldn't help herself, she envied Raven's unshakable place in Jennifer's mind, heart. Moving as quietly as she could, the demon rose and moved to the side, attempting to skirt the edge of the room and leave. Jennifer didn't need her. She needed Raven, and Raven was right there.

The Titan saw and felt the demon's withdrawal, her mind tracking the demon for a few moments, as the pale girl tried to calm herself, and a panicky Jinx that she held. Deciding on a course of action, she took a deep breath, then lifted her head. "Fee. Come sit, we still have a lot to talk about."

The blonde haired demon stopped, her back still to the two on the bed. "I... should go. I caused her problems. I cause you problems." She spoke the word, 'you', meaning both the Titan and her mistress.

"Not knowing where she went, what happened causes me problems. Worry causes me problems... you only tried... " Raven swallowed, taking a breath to still her jealous, envious feelings. She knew these two shard a moment, maybe more. She knew that for a small time at least, the demon offered the feline comfort, warmth and safety. She knew this, knew that for all practical purposes, it was as harmless as her own time spent with Terra. Well nearly. She hadn't kissed Terra.

Damn it. "Come here and wait a minute." When Fee didn't move still, Raven rolled her eyes and simply wrapped the obstinate demon up like Jinx and bundled her onto the bed, beside the pink haired feline. "Now, stay. We'll get this all sorted out in a minute. I'm sure.

"At least I hope so." Raven closed her eyes and smiled slightly, shrugging against the headboard and pillow behind her. "Jinxy, do you have some ice cream?"

"Cookie dough and mint, a tub of each in the freezer," the girl sniffed, curling up against the Titan tighter.

Raven nodded to the door over Jinx's shoulder, and Fee got up to fetch the dessert. She smiled as the demon looked back, her eyes still shut in that disconcerting way.

As the demon passed from the room, Raven waited a moment. Reaching down she cupped the chin of the girl against her shoulder and lifted it up, turning the girl's coral eyes to her own. "I know it's sudden. I know maybe you don't know, but be honest. Will you?"

Jinx nodded and straitened, fussing at her pillow with mock severity. "Yeah. Since... well since you saved me, hell since ever, I've been honest with you." The girl smirked and glanced up at the Titan wryly. "I never lied even when we fought."

Raven laughed at this but still held the girl's gaze. "Do you... "

"I do."

The Titan dropped her eyes to Jinx's hands, her cheeks scarlet, shining against the girl's pale skin. Her voice was barely a whisper, something Jinx almost didn't hear. "Say it."

Coral eyes drifted up, finding Raven taking hesitant glances at her. Even without empathy, the thief could feel Raven's anxiety and unease. Smiling slowly, her lips quirking up at the corners, the usually perky witch leaned forward, catching the Titan's lips in a brief kiss. "I know who Raven lo-ooves," she crooned.

Raven groused, her brow furrowing slightly, "C'mon, just... say it." Her expression softened and finally fell away to something pleading, beseeching. "And yeah, I do."

Jinx practically purred at the admission, her own feelings welling up in her throat suddenly. The usually mischievous grin sobered and she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl beside her. "I... love you too, Raven. I do."

The Titan smiled, without tension, without anxiety at the feline curled up on her side. "Then you better not mind me moving some clothes over here. I plan on being around a lot."

"God, first my heart, now my closet? Maybe I should rethink this..." Jinx yelped and flipped off the bed as Raven prodded her with an icy finger, sheathed in ebon force.

"Get back here and let me tickle you."

Raven and Jinx tussled around a moment until a soft clearing of a throat sounded at the door. The pink haired girl took a moment to look into Raven's eyes, waiting for a signal, an indication of her thoughts. An almost imperceptible nod met her inquiry and she smiled, a gentle quirking of her lips.

"Fee, did you bring spoons?"

"Yes."

Jinx turned and patted the space at the foot of the bed. "C'mon, silly. You brought one for you too right?"

Fee looked away with a slight grin. "Yes. I like mint."

"Good, now hush up and dig in, I have more story to tell."

The Titan and the former Hive operative sat, sharing the cookie dough while Fee got the mint to herself, the three arranged with the demon by the foot and the two side by side at the headboard. They sat quietly and compared tastes in desserts, waiting for Jinx to feel comfortable enough to continue her tale.

"Lets see, where did I leave off..."

Raven pointed with a spoon at the honey-haired demon at their feet, grinning around a spoon. "Right after you met Fee."

"Oh, right. Yeah." Jinx's brow furrowed and a frown drew her features for a moment as she recalled the rest of that morning. "Well, after we found Midnite again, he gave me a letter, instructions on how to find someone who could tell me more about the whole Trigon thing."

"You know," Raven muttered, poking the feline with her cold spoon, eliciting a yelp, "you could have just asked me."

The feline wrinkled her nose and dug a particularly stubborn chunk of dough from their tub. "Could tell me about him, yeah, but how to stop him... I didn't know if you knew. I just felt like I should do something.

"You helped me. You saved me, probably twice." Jinx smiled and leaned against the pale Titan. "No one had ever done something like that for me. I wanted to help you."

Fee smiled, despite her conflicted feelings. Her mistress was happy. The strange turn of events that led her to this place, to being bonded to the strange girl cuddling with the Teen Titan a few feet away still made her uneasy. That Midnite would terminate a soul contract so idly, over a rule he made so long ago.

_Over something that should be impossible in itself, _she mused._Yet it's true, in it's own way. I do love her._

Raven bit her lip, silently aware of Fee's musings. She felt a stab of apprehension, a nervous worry that the demon by their feet would complicate their already complex situation. Pursing her lips, the Titan turned her attention back to Jinx, resolving to ask the girl about Fee sometime soon.

"That brings me to that damn mirror," the thief closed her eyes and shivered. "I hated that thing."

Puzzled, the Titan looked between the two, curious as to what this 'mirror' was, that caused Jinx to have such a violent reaction. She also remembered her own mirror, and was reminded of her recent trip into the odd byways of Jinx's mind. "Tell me about it?"

The feline nodded to Fee and preoccupied herself with more ice cream. "She knows more than me of them, all I know is that I hate them. A lot."

"They are despicable things. I've hated them for decades," the demon muttered around her spoon. "They are natives of a multidimensional nature, spanning many of them at once. It was found that if... contained, the things could be made to provide gateways from one place to another. Some within time as well."

Raven blinked, the idea, the possibilities of a thing like this endless, she realized. And the potential for abuse and exploitation as well. "Why are they so rare? I've never heard of one, in my studies or anything."

Fee nodded, sobering slightly. "They aren't hospitable things. It takes either great will or power to use them as gateways. The trip is never pleasant, as it involves traveling between dimensions, exposing one to all the possibilities of one's existence. Traveling that way can be... very damaging." The demon looked at Jinx , the memory of their use of the mirror and it's repercussions still fresh in her memory.

"I see," Raven mumbled, tentatively connecting dots in her mind. She felt that it could be that this mirror was at least partially responsible for the wrongness, the strange psychic episode from Jinx that happened earlier. She filed away the information for later, as Jinx was continuing, moving on from that point.

Jinx dug idly into the ice cream, not trying to spoon anything out, rather spearing random points in the tub with her utensil. "It was after I got back to the Oasis, and Fee was knocked out by debris that I remember seeing the other me. Something about the mirror. Had to be. Whatever caused it, there was a moment where the two of us were separate. But I was afraid.

"I guess something in me wouldn't let her... it, roam free. Or maybe it can't. Who knows?" Smiling mirthlessly she went on, caught up now in her tale. "After that I remember waking up in the restaurant my dad runs on the side. I healed Fee, somehow and then... black. Nothing else till I woke up, or came to. I'm not sure, in Los Angeles it was only a bit later in the day then when I was with Fee."

Raven started, realizing the time involved didn't match up. "Jinx, how'd you end up in LA that quick?"

Sighing, the thief leaned back, lacing her fingers behind her head. "Well, according to my host there, I learned to teleport." Grinning suddenly Jinx nudged Raven's foot with hers. "Guess who I got to meet. C'mon, guess."

"Um. What?"

Jinx bounced a little and kicked her feet, "C'mon, try and guess!"

The Titan looked at Fee and shrugged. "Barbra Streisand?"

Jinx blinked at her, bemused. "Why would I want to meet her?"

"You didn't say anything about wanting to meet the person! Just to guess!"

"Yeah but... oh nevermind." Jinx's bouncing stopped, and she grinned broadly. "I got to meet the devil."

Raven and Fee both blinked at one another, then turned confused glances to their companion. Raven's voice was the first to break the silence, "Um. What?"

"Lucifer Morningstar! He's the one I went to help me figure out how to help," despite the absurdity of the claim, the empath felt no signs of embellishment or dishonesty in the girl, on the contrary, it felt more like she was vastly accomplished and satisfied.

"You aren't joking."

"Nope! I met the devil. And he told me a lot of information. See, I figured, if your father's a demon, I should talk to someone who'd know, well just about anything I wanted to know. So, go to the top!" Gesturing grandly, the thief sat back and glanced between her companion's shocked expressions. "Er. What?"

Grinning slightly, Raven laughed. "Just. Wow. So, um. What's he like?"

"Kinda boring, to be honest. Plays piano well though."

Jinx found herself peering over the edge of the bed, wondering why her two companions suddenly fell off. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing," Raven murmured with a sigh. "Just a usual day I guess."

-

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- 

A/N: Another preposterously long chapter. Could not find a good break point, sadly.  
Ah, the joys of the anticlimax. Don't worry, it'll pick up soon.  
One week to Halloween. One week till the End.

Review responses from chapters 10-15 are up as a review on chapter 15.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: All DC characters are owned by their owners, none of which happen to be at this moment. Brant and Fee are mine. Some other people too. Not that you'd need them anyway.**

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_  
Warning: There is harsh language, suggestive themes, violence... yeah. Oh and female-centric romance themes._

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"Sometimes we must simply agree to disagree."  
"No, we don't."  
... _sigh_.

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_**  
Act Three: In Darkest Night**_

**Chapter Seventeen**

_I Titan Tower, Sunday Morning I_

"Hey Cyborg, what time is it?"

The metallic Teen glared at the Boy Wonder for the seventh time this hour. "It's exactly five minutes from the last time you asked me that."

Robin looked out the window, his expression inscrutable behind the mask he wore. "Hmm." The Titan's face was hidden behind the morning paper again shortly after, as the Boy Wonder again busied himself with pretending to read the same two pages he'd been staring at for the last two hours.

Cyborg sighed and sat down beside their leader, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Listen man, she'll be back when she's back. If there was trouble, we'd know about it."

Sighing, Robin nodded, but didn't relax. "I know. I do, and I know she can handle herself. But she's part of the team, so she's also my responsibility."

"You know, holding the entire world on your shoulders has _got_ to be tiresome."

"Hmph"

"Suit yourself man," the titanium Titan shrugged, before yelling back down the hall. "Hey, BB! Terra! Gamestation time, baby! Oh yeah!"

Blinking from the blast form the larger man's voice so close to his ears, Robin mumbled and dug back into his breakfast without comment. Breakfast being the morning paper. Soon the others had begun their day in earnest, the only difference being the occasional glance to the chair nearest the hall, where Raven typically sat.

Morning rituals and breakfast moved on, and the team leader's mood progressed with the time, darkening as the day grew brighter. Exercises went well, for the most part, despite the team's sometimes preoccupied stares, pauses. Those moments were tense, as they all knew and understood the reason, and cause. Robin, again, was handling it the worst. Starfire was twice nearly injured by the practice room equipment as she stared at the Boy Wonder, clearly affected by by his moods. When she was easily defeated by a more focused Beast Boy, her melancholy was compounded by Robin's chiding words after.

Perhaps in all honestly Robin's behavior was entirely proper, as the leader was concerned for their teammate's safety, in the face of an unknown public and equally questionable 'date'.

It was somewhat past midday when the Titans had assembled for lunch, that Cyborg received Raven's message. It was brief, and he felt maybe a bit vague, but the metal Teen trusted their companion. Robin was discussing sending out teams of two to search for their wayward friend when Cyborg relayed the news.

"So, she's alright then, according to the text message?"

Cyborg nodded with a more relaxed smile than he'd managed that day, expanding his modular screen to show the others. "Even signed it with her code for this week."

"Did she say when she'd be back," Robin queried, still dissatisfied with the situation. When the metal Teen shook his head, the Boy Wonder rolled his eyes and and leaned back in his chair. "Damnit, I don't like this."

The others were enjoying their lunch, trying to shrug off the leader's mood as best as they could. Robin for his part was nearly as frustrated at his team's lack of concern as he was with Raven's odd behavior. Resolving to have a talk with her when she returned about the situation, he joined the others with more gusto, rather than sulk with preoccupation.

Finishing the mean, the Titans went about their own activities; Beast Boy and Terra sat and argued, laughed about television and video games. Cyborg saw to the various Tower systems, defenses and state. Starfire had gone on a brief patrol, her usual partner in this being Robin, but today he was working on organizing the criminal profiles and histories the Titan database held.

He found himself dwelling on Jinx's record, over and over again. He admitted the pretty thief had a certain air about her. She was also attractive in her own way, being lithe and athletic, obviously graceful. The young detective leaned on his hand and regarded the record stoically. "What is it... errgh."

Robin closed the terminal he was using and made his way to the Tower common room, thinking to idle for a small while till Raven arrived, but instead finding Terra alone on the couch watching MTV. Remembering that she and the dark Titan had been more social recently, the Boy Wonder thought perhaps she could shed some insight on Raven's odd behavior.

"Hey, mind if I join you?"

Terra stared at him as if his hair had suddenly caught fire, but nodded regardless. "Sure, uh. Didn't know you were into this kind of music."

Shrugging the boy sat, and within a few moments the two were commenting on the music, shifting the channels between a few of the stations to vary the selection now and then. It was about ten minutes later when Robin cleared his throat, turning to regard the girl with a more serious look on his face. "I noticed the other day that you and Raven had started hanging out more, talking."

Laughing quietly the blonde snapped her fingers and looked at the Boy Wonder askance. "Knew it was too good to be true." When he just raised an eyebrow curiously, she shook her head and sighed. "You don't really hang out with us, any of us, so when you just rolled out here and started watching TRL with me, well call me a skeptic, but I figured there was a catch."

"Uhm," was the only reply the young detective gave that moment, realizing again that his role as leader, rather how he took it, did cause him distance from the others. It wasn't by choice that he had put a distance, both emotionally and through interaction with his team. Shaking off the awkward thoughts he returned his attentions to the subject he'd begun with Terra

"Sorry, it's just I have to think about this. Have to keep focused on the team, and when someone starts acting different, even if it's a good different, I have to act on it, or keep it in mind, you know?" Sighing, he settled back on the couch and leaned his head back, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah yeah, I know." Terra clicked the television's sound off and turned her attention fully to the boy sitting by her. "So, what's on your mind?"

Nodding slightly the Teen detective thought about what he figured was most pertinent. "What does she know about Jinx, really?"

"Raven thinks she's good. I'm not sure about the details. We talked but not about that kind of thing; I wasn't into grilling her about it." Terra smiled slightly at the memory of how happy Raven had seemed that day at the mall, once they'd started shopping. She'd really opened up, and despite the occasional mishap with errant powers, it was really nice. "She got inside Jinx's head a while back, after the accident that busted little miss wicked up some, she said. Maybe something she saw in there. Maybe all the times the two have fought. You know those two and their tendency for witty banter." The blonde shrugged with a grin. "Maybe something just clicked."

Robin nodded slightly, absorbing this without comment. "Do you think she'd turn on us?"

"What?!" Terra openly gaped at him, shaking her head mutely a moment. "The hell, she's less likely to do that than anyone." Jabbing a finger at the Robin she glared. She turned a finger back at herself and nodded once. "She's the least likely. You know that."

Robin looked away, remembering both of their respective trials involving Slade. His, as the man's supposed chosen apprentice, and Terra's, as his tool to get revenge, to break the Titan's spirit.

"Right... ah." Feeling uncomfortable with the direction conversation had turned, the detective shook his head slowly. "I just mean, feelings can turn on you, bend you up inside. What happens if Jinx makes her choose, I guess."

Terra shrugged. "Then I hope she chooses to be happy." Directing a rather pointed glare at the Titan beside her, the geokinetic continued, "we all, especially her, deserve some happiness."

"Even if it breaks up the team?"

And much to surprise of the young leader, Terra laughed. "Nothing lasts forever, Robin." Reaching into the pouches she kept around her waist, she pulled out some loose rocks and soil. Smiling grimly, she clenched a fist around it, and opened it slowly, revealing a rough, lightly glinting diamond. "Nothing."

The diamond crumbled into gray dust, as the girl stood and walked off. Robin leaned back, kicking the sound on with his heel. He stayed there for the next half hour, unseeing and deaf to the noise of the thing.

_I A demon's dreaming I_

_Little whore._

Where she had curled up on the couch in Jinx's apartment, Fee twitched in her sleep.

_Pay attention, little whore. _

Groaning and shifting again, the honey haired demoness blinked the sun and sleep from her eyes, turning to look for what awoke her from a brief nap.

_For one so long of life you lack in attention. _

Fee spun around, realizing it wasn't sun in her eyes, but flames. Flames all around her, licking at the stony, wicked walls and ceiling above, so far above. Heat washed over her suddenly, blasting her hair back and away from what lay before the demoness. The direction the voice came from.

_Ah, good for you little whore. So there is sense inside that empty little skull I see._

"Shut up. Who are you?"

_Names. What meaningless preoccupation mortals put in such frivolous things. And such a truly, base and frivolous thing you are. I suppose it is only proper, for you to share those preoccupations._

"I said _Shut Up!_ If you're going to speak, tell me where am I!" Fee cast about, her hair a fan behind her as she sought some reason, some order to this place. Some hint of recognition.

It came, and with it a shock and deep, echoing sense of-

Comfort.

_Ah yes. Hell, little whore. Not your hell of course. Mine._ Marks appeared, sharp contrast against the sooty, obsidian walls around her. Red and wicked, like grasping hands and claws they curled and scraped at the bounds of this place. Brightly, they shone through the flames that licked and scored the cavern.

The demoness glared around her, eyes lighting in response to her emotions, her anger. Crimson overtook the gold in her irises as like blood it creeped, glinting to cover the whole. The shadows around her form lengthened and grew solid as a skin of liquid darkness stretched and pulled taught around her fingers, stretching to her upper arms. Similar claws and hardened carapaces flowed around and up her calves and around her feet, flowed from her back around wings that split and unfurled behind her, shimmering wetly in the half light.

_Rage? Little slut, I AM RAGE! Your anger means nothing to me._ The flames died out before her and through the arching, clawing marks upon the stone and walls, the glaring slash of four eyes, brimming crimson with hate and anger glared at her.

"You mean nothing to me. I answer to no one. I am bound by no one." Flexing her claws as her form coalesced into the semblance of her hellish birth, the succubus flared out her membranous wings, the skin of dark ichor and shadow that swept around and covered her forearms and legs snaking it's way around to cover her, provocative if less protective. "Stop hiding behind these stage theatrics you pathetic waste and-" Fee's challenge was cut short as the ground and rock for yards around her imploded against the demoness, throwing her into the bowl that was left with a cry of pain on her knees.

_Remember your place, whore._ Mirth, greasy and disgusting washed over Fee and she shuddered.

"Who the fuck are you?" Fee muttered, trying to right herself but being pressed down, pushed to remain as she was it felt by the air itself.

_Believe me or do not, I care not. But you may count me an ally. As much an ally as one such as you can expect._

Fee's crimson eyes glinted and flashed in the smoky gloom, her mouth curling around words that were made sharper, course as her teeth grew into wicked fangs, a sneer made more so framing them. "An ally? Odd, I have no need for such an ally, if this is your way of showing it."

Readying another string of insults and rebuttals, the demon found herself cut short as the other's voice boomed at her from all directions again. _Make no mistake, you and I may have a common goal. _

Her voice dripping sarcasm and venom, Fee countered, "Oh, and that would be?"

_You want a particular girl for your own, little whore. And I want her companion._

And it suddenly made sense. "Piss off. I'm not buying, and you can fuck off with any attempts to sell it."

_You, like all the others, will serve me in the end little whore. Even if yo-_

"Stop CALLING ME THAT!" Fee blasted out, her wings flaring suddenly as violent crimson waves washed off her, further fracturing the stony ground. "You don't know me, so-"

_SILENCE! Whelp of no one, you will serve or cease to be! Choice was not given to you! You will serve, even if you don't realize it._

_All serve, in the end._

Pain lanced through the demoness and she lunged off the couch and nearly through the window, opening it to the mid afternoon sun, her breath coming in harsh gasps. She gasped again, as she saw her hand, hellish skin covering it from fingertip to elbow.

Soot streaked the curtains.

Fee stood silently, contemplating what happened. Knowing all too well what it was, what was meant. Knowing sometimes did little, in the end to help. It took a few moments, but the demoness quieted her mind, and over the course of those moments her demon's armor faded back into her body, melding into her skin.

Her mouth set in a grim line, the now 'normal' looking demon went to make tea, hoping it would quiet her nerves, if not her reeling mind. "I'm not..."

_I Jump City, Sunday Afternoon I_

Jinx sat across from Raven, the two having left the somewhat exhausted demon to sleep on the couch back at the thief's flat. Fee had mentioned her vigil, on the building overlooking Jinx's own, and her weariness, so the two figured it best to give the demoness time to recoup. Some distance away at another table, the rather conspicuous form of Brant sat, pretending to nurse a cup of coffee that he never got refilled. Raven glanced at him now and then, unnerved slightly by him. He was like a blank spot in the mental fabric of the room.

"Sunshine?"

Raven started, realizing she was looking off and zoning out, Jinx's last few words fading into the background. "Sorry, must be a bit tired still." Smiling a bit sheepishly as a waitress passed by, the empath motioned for her companion to go on.

Jinx shook her head and grinned at Raven. "It's ok, I know he's a bit hard to get used to. I figured I'd have problems myself, but I grew up with him around. Just used to it I suppose."

"Wait, _grew up_? Jinx, he looks about thirty. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

Nodding the feline shrugged. "Dad trusts him. I think I asked once and he just shrugged and didn't answer, saying it wasn't really important."

"Um?" the Titan peered into her hot chocolate and figured that it really wasn't that big of a deal, if not only Jinx but her father had no problems with the rather imposing man. Still, even aside from his psychic 'absence', there was something just unnerving about the fellow.

"Raven?" Jinx's quiet question pulled her back into the present again, and she swore at her lack of focus. Waving off her apologies, the thief went on, "I guess we should talk about Fee."

"I suppose. Though I'm a bit concerned."

Staring at her dish, small bits of cheesecake still clinging to it, Jinx nodded slightly, "I know, I can promise all day and it doesn't change much."

"Hold on, that's not what I mean," Raven interrupted. "What I meant was, I feel something from her. She um." Looking up into coral eyes, the Titan just sighed and went on, figuring it was best to put everything on the table. "She has very strong feelings for you. Very. Strong."

Jinx's fork scraped along her dish, making people for a few tables around the two wince. Raven sat, stoic as usual, the only sign of her disturbance in her eyes. None of it seemed to relate to the sudden grating screech. "Oh," the thief answered finally, unable to think of else to say.

"Yeah. I just don't know, I suppose. I mean, she seems nice, and all that, but..." Raven sighed and looked up at her companion. "Do you understand, Jinx? I trust you, I do. I just don't know how much I trust her." Taking a sip of her hot chocolate, the Teen smiled ruefully. "Doesn't help I guess that I've had bad luck with demons in the past."

"I can understand, really." Nodding, Jinx turned her coral eyes out the window, watching the passerby a moment. "I just don't know what to do about it. She doesn't have a place to be, other than well the _Oasis_, and I feel kind of bad having her just shack up in a bar. I mean, Joe's place is huge, and I know it has a place that can be made into quarters..." Tapping her chin, the pink haired girl considered this a moment. "Doesn't sound so bad, now that I think about it."

Raven shook her head and tapped at her own dish idly. "I'm not really so worried if she's around I guess." Taking a breath the Titan kept on, speaking more to herself than Jinx it seemed. "I mean, she really seems loyal to you, and I could be just as jumpy around Brant there I guess, but it's more..." Shaking her head hard the girl just went still. "Maybe I'm worried. Jealous. Something. I can't pin it down but she makes me nervy."

"Would you feel better if she went away?"

"I don't know." Raven's brow furrowed and she leaned back hard, causing the bench to creak. "I mean she's nice. I actually don't mind her, hell I get along with Terra and she was involved with Slade briefly."

Jinx stated and blinked at the girl across from her. "What? She was what?"

"Oh, you'd not have heard about that, would you?" Raven murmured, shaking her head. "Well, a few months ago, Slade offered her a way to control her powers better if she'd give him information on us." She flagged the waitress down and asked for another cocoa, pausing a moment. Collecting her thoughts, the Titan continued, "She told us, once she'd informed him about some of the less important security systems in the Tower. We were mad; we actually had her banned from the team briefly, but then Robin had an idea."

"Have her be a false mole?" Jinx guessed.

"Pretty much. Thanks to her we finally defeated him and haven't seen him since." Curling her hands around a new warm cup, Raven looked up at Jinx and sighed. "I just don't like the idea of someone who's a demon being that close to you. Who knows what could happen?"

"But... if what you say is true, wouldn't I be the last person she lashed out at?"

"What was that saying about hell and a woman scorned?"

Wincing the thief nodded. "Point made."

"I'm not saying really that you need to do anything," Raven pointed out, blowing across her cocoa to cool it some. "I just feel a little nervous about her."

Nodding quietly, Jinx considered the Titan's words, her feelings as well as her own impressions and emotions concerning the demoness. Feeling somewhat at a loss in the tangle, she tried a new approach. "Brant! Hey, tall dark and gruesome, c'mere!"

The bodyguard sighed, before standing and walking over, causing many a customer of the small shop to start or jump at his 'sudden' appearance. Brant, like most accomplished bodyguards had a talent for disappearing in plain sight. A fairly interesting trick for someone who could double as a small building.

"Yes, Ma'am, what is it you needed?" Brant, not at all very comfortable being called out in the open, was demonstrating this in his most usual form. Grumbling.

Jinx grinned roguishly and tugged on his sleeve. "Sit! I have things to ask you."

Brant glanced to the right and left as if judging traffic. Satisfied that no buses were going to speed down the cafe's isles while he sat there, the large man took a seat at the end, between the girls and across from the window. This placed his back to the room. Brant was not pleased by this. "Very well, Ma'am. What would you like to ask?"

Raven shook her head at the man's obvious discomfort, still nervous around him due to his utter lack of mental noise or feedback. She imagined that it shouldn't matter, but it did. To anyone else, it could be compared to suddenly having a person be utterly quiet, making no sounds at all. Or perhaps losing any or having no body language. Jinx, having been around him so much longer, had no qualms about the tall man and dived ahead, conversing with him despite his somewhat stiff manner.

"Well, what do you think of Fee?"

The bodyguard considered this a moment, but answered quickly regardless, "I cannot presume judgment. I don't have the proper information."

Rolling her eyes, Jinx leaned across the table and poked Brant with her fork, "Impression. I know you make them immediately when you meet people. What was it?"

Again, the man paused, longer this time and looking down at the table as if in contemplation. Finally he looked up, his eyes somewhat more shadowed than before. "I believe she could be a great ally and asset. Could be."

"I detect a 'but' in there somewhere," the thief replied, her hands fidgeting with the sugar packets. Raven reached over and stole them away before the already wired girl could snack on their contents. Pouting the entire time, Jinx settled back in the booth.

Smiling wryly, Brant nodded once. "Like anyone, for all you could know, even I could be turned against you. It is those you trust most that can hurt you the easiest."

Jinx folded her arms in front of her and talked into the cavern she made, leaning down against them. "Way to make me paranoid, Brant. Really, it's great to know I should always watch my back and trust no one." She continued mumbling on, too faint for the others to hear.

"Do you think we should trust her?" Raven asked, addressing the man for the first time, directly.

"I do not even trust you, yet you are close to the young Miss," the bodyguard said without missing a beat, turning his somewhat disconcerting eyes directly at her. Despite their odd color, she held the gaze and waited for him to continue. "But you can only gain trust in two ways, I've found."

Coral eyes peered up under pink bangs as they talked, darting between the two as they conversed. Raven tilted her head and rose to the comment, "What two ways?"

"You either earn it, by being trustworthy and proving your reliability. Or you are gifted it, and come to deserve it in time from those that gifted you." Nodding slowly, Raven mulled this over and could see the man's angle.

_After all_, she mused quietly, _for all intent and purposes, Jinx and I are gifting each other right now. But I also believe her to be worthy of trust... how does that figure into his idea?_ Jinx, for her part, was thinking along a very similar track, but kept such things to herself for the moment. She was torn, and not lightly, between her concern for someone she counted a new and fast friend, and her recent lover.

Coming to a conclusion, and hoping it was the right one, the young Wrangler sat back up. "Hm. Brant, how many people are on my personal detail?"

He considered her quietly a moment, then nodded once, a small smile on his lips. "Two, at most. Myself always, and one other that I assign." Raven saw the look that passed between them and stifled her curiosity for the moment, despite wanting to know what was being said she couldn't hear.

"How many rooms in the security 'wing' of the floor I'm on are free?"

"Three. One is reserved for the second detail, if needed," Brant answered immediately, and Raven began to see the logic of Jinx's question.

Smiling, the thief laced her fingers together and sipped noisily at her soda by the straw. "Take her on as a trainee and have it set up for her." Tilting her head and staring off a bit in thought, she continued, blinking at points she was clarifying while speaking, "keep her under your wing, train her as best you can. I think she'll be fine. Also report any oddness to me, and use your own judgments on if I need to know something. If she can earn your trust, then I think we'll all be ok with her." Brant simply nodded, seemingly having expected exactly this idea with her first query.

"Can I add something?" Raven chimed in, surprising the two slightly, but Jinx motioned for her to continue. "Perhaps if she's going to be a bodyguard for a... person of special station, like you, Brant's normal training would be fine." Grinning somewhat darkly, causing Jinx's eyes to widen, the Titan went on, "But, since she's also going to be protecting a metahuman, sorceress and my girlfriend, perhaps the Titans could... help... with her training."

"You're not throwing her in the bay."

"..."

"No." Jinx ran the instep of her foot slowly up Raven's calf, causing the Titan to twitch where she sat.

"Mmmmph. Fine. But if she falls in, oh well." Brant stifled a chuckle at the expression on the Titan's face.

"Falling in is ok. Just not from a great height."

Raven muttered under her breath.

"Or distance!"

Throwing her hands up, the empath glared at her companion. "Fine, fine. I won't play rough!"

Jinx waggled an eyebrow at her and the Titan suddenly blinked.

"Well with Fee."

"That's more like it."

Brant felt the sudden urge to go hide in a corner.

"But in all seriousness," Raven said, all humor gone from her voice. "We should feel her out and see what she's capable of, and can offer both you-" Sighing she kicked the laughing thief in the shin, causing her to yelp. "Feel out, not up! Wretch."

"Hey! I'm not the one with the Mphhhhrhhrhhahhanmmm-" Jinx was cut off mid-word by a band of black force across her mouth.

"As I was saying... we can see what she can offer in skills as a bodyguard, and maybe teach her some things that'll help keep you safe as well." Brant nodded at this logic, while it seemed Jinx had lost her focus on conversation some time ago. Perhaps it had something to do with the band of force also covering her nose, and the slight blue tinge she was taking on as her eyes rolled back...

"Oh hell." Raven dismissed her impromptu 'gag' and slumped, biting her lip. "Sorry?"

"Some... bodyguard... you are... " the feline glared at Brant, gasping between words.

Raising a brow the man merely shrugged. "From what I heard the other night, I figured that sort of thing was normal with you tw-Owww!" Wincing the man fell backward out of his chair as two feet connected with their respective shin, sending the man into fits in the isle. Again, people stopped and stared, as the large man who had suddenly appeared a few moments ago was now rolling on his side in the isle, grasping his shins.

The girls grinned at each other for a moment until Jinx stretched, yawning. "I hate to bring this up, but you should really head home sometime. I'm sure 'mother' Robin is worried into molting over your little vacation."

"If he'd molt into normal colors I'd make this a daily thing," the Titan muttered, sending Jinx into a fit of giggles.

"Doesn't anyone tell him how bad he looks?" the thief asked, waving her hands for emphasis. "I mean, Batman trained him yeah? So how does all that color uncoordination fit in with the stealth shtick?"

"Hey! We have to have someone be comic relief."

"What about Beast Boy?"

Raven considered this a moment, mentally recounting to herself the many jokes, pranks and antics of the green changeling. "Have you actually heard one of his jokes?"

Blinking, Jinx checked her pockets for her wallet and glanced at the bill the waitress had left, carefully stepping over the still grumbling form of Brant. "That bad huh?"

"Nothing comic about that one," Raven agreed, betraying her words with a grin regardless.

Jinx chuckled, remembering she 'owned' the restaurant and handed the bill to Brant for handling. "Well, other than that hairstyle." The man could have melted stone with the glare he was directing at the two.

Shrugging, the Titan stood, wondering where the check went, at Brant moved to the bar a moment. "Eh, it's ok. At least he's just loud, not emo."

Paling, Jinx shivered. "Oh dear god, an emo changeling."

"Yeah, lets not go there." Jinx looked thoughtful a moment then grinned widely. Raven cut her off before she could manage to say anything, "And before you say anything about him being green, and the word lawnmower, I'll just say that if you take up bad puns worse than him, I'll make sure you can't sit properly for a week."

Jinx sniffed, feigning indignation at such an idea. "Promises promises."

Raven smiled. Jinx paled. Brant walked up and rolled his eyes.

_Just another day_, Raven thought with a quiet laugh.

_I Jump City, Evening I_

Raven was still in a state of blissful contentment as she and Jinx parted, that afternoon. With nothing but sky and the noises of a city below her to dwell on, the Titan let her thoughts drift about as she did herself, back to the previous day, her time with Jinx, and the impending weirdness she was sure to have to deal with at home.

_Home_, she mused to herself. _Jump City was home. Titan Tower was home_. A smile curled along her lips as she swayed in the wind, an updraft sending her to the side slightly. _Jinx feels like home. If I were to observe the situation we place themselves in, it would definitely seem awkward_, Raven thought for a moment. Jinx, despite her own issues, her own troubles with family and the steep issue of taking over for her father's business, which Raven had to admit, left a bad taste in her mouth. _Who left their family 'business' to an eighteen year old? Forget Jinx's official criminal schooling. She was a teenager! How could she manage?_

Yet she'd managed her H.I.V.E. cell with surprising good results, considering. If the Titans hadn't had a mole inside, and the tactical information provided by not only the H.I.V.E. mainframe but their own, things would have gone much differently. Raven recalled the first time the three main elements of Jinx's cell, minus any other members had managed to not only route the Teens but also take over the Tower itself. Regrouping they'd repelled the attack in time, but not before being made painfully aware of their shortcomings. Raven herself had fallen to Jinx at that time, and though she had carried a grudge for some time, it was one based on respect and awareness of the perky witch's abilities.

Raven had to admit, if there were more elements than just superhuman combat and villainy to her education at H.I.V.E. Academy, perhaps this new change in Jump wouldn't be so much a trial for the pink haired girl as... for her and the Titans. The empath frowned at this line of thought, but proceeded on it, knowing in better to be prepared than surprised by such things. _What would happen if Jinx became the preeminent criminal mind and force in the Jump/ San Francisco area?_ She knew that the girl, for the time being had no ambitions to spread to other metropolitan areas, but what if? What if... she attracted the negative attentions of the Justice League? What if she ended up being on the receiving end of some vigilante's justice? What would she, Raven the Teen Titan do?

Such gloomy thoughts distracted the girl, and she dipped, drifted down until she was within the distance to a school, to hear and be distracted from her thoughts by the clamor below her.

She passed over the local high school, and paused, watching the teens below her go about their after school routines. Intrigued by them, Raven settled into a nearby tree, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself and waited, listening to the errant conversation of passerby, or watching the activities people engaged in.

A number of the students went directly home, others lingered. It seemed that the club situation here wasn't as strong as Terra's experiences, but she recognized some small groups moving to collect and gather for them. Below her, a small group of girls, maybe between fifteen and seventeen, passed, and her ears caught faint drifts of conversation.

"... believe she was like that?"

"No, no idea. But I can't believe we shared a locker with her now," this statement, strand of conversation caught the Teen's attention and she focused, wincing slightly as her efforts rewarded the Titan with an ear full of retching sounds.

"C'mon, who cares if she likes girls? Has she hit on either of you?" Raven paled slightly. Regardless if the conversation was about some other female, the situation was similar to one she herself was trying desperately to ignore.

Scoffing the girl's companion stopped, pointing at the recent speaker, her expression severe. "Listen, I don't know about you, but I can't afford to have my image smeared by being around some... dyke!"

"That's really unfair. You liked her before this all came up, you know." The girl, continuing her front was suddenly being glared at by her three companions.

"You know, why are you so defensive of her?" The leader, if the group had one advanced on the girl, and the others just stood back and watched, amusement apparent on their faces. Raven felt sick, something inside her curling up and going cold at the suddenness of the change in what she saw, only moments ago, to be a group of close friends. Curling her power about her like a second cloak, the Titan willed herself far away, as close to the Tower as her reserves would allow, minus a headache. No need to overdo it.

Yet she paused, hovering over the roof of the Tower itself, her mind straying back to the teens she'd spied on and their behavior. She knew the Titans may have a very good idea what was going on, but what was unknown was how they'd react to her being open. Could she be open, ever really? What were the consequences of this? Could she...?

Could she anything? She desperately wanted to be around the feline, to be with Jinx. The thief had something she'd yet to find in anyone else, and it liberated, freed Raven from her own self. _I can actually... feel around her. And I know, better than anyone, how easily I could trap myself in that. I'm trying hard not to, not to let the experience outweigh her, as a person. But it only adds and builds and makes it harder to be objective. Then there's Jinx herself. Quirky, funny, compassionate, caring. She has a dark side, a whimsy that tends to the dramatic, to the dangerous_. _She is after all a thief, and the daughter of Don Wrangler. How could she not be a bit affected by this?_ Raven was more than fond of the girl, she knew. In all the time they'd fought, she'd been there, watching, feeling and probing, learning about the witch. Now she knew her likely better than any other person alive, and it all ended with the Titan falling for the feline.

How could she explain that to the Team? Starfire, she was sure, would simply celebrate. Terra would let it go easy, in the beginning. Cyborg may be upset, may be livid. The time he'd spent in the H.I.V.E. had not been a good experience, and the few good things he'd taken from there were related to Jinx and Bumblebee. Beast Boy... Raven flinched. He'd harbored a fondness for her, despite her objections, her explanations, and outright rudeness sometimes, for some time. It was lucky Terra and he spent so much time together, but would their bond keep him from lashing out at her? It may come as a personal blow to him, which she didn't want, truly. He was a good person. Just not good for her. Robin... may remove her from the team, once the full situation were laid to light. First, Jinx, as Jennifer Wrangler, had embarrassed him in front of the others with her meeting a while past. Second, her existence as a thief, regardless of affiliation would make him possible call into question Raven's own motives, loyalties. Even if she were absent from any activities that involved the catlike thief, her influence, the Titans knowing her connection, would color their behavior to the girl. Some perhaps positive, some negative. Even if she were to go legit, the specter of her past would make it hard.

She dwelled on the facts a few minutes, pondering. Slade had also risen a personal ire in the Boy Wonder, in much the same way. As it turned out, Robin harbored a very solid sense of pride and to injure or besmirch that tended to attract attentions most would rather not have.

What if Robin made her choose? Would Jinx... no. She had too much of being forced into things from Brother Blood and the H.I.V.E. already. Raven doubted the girl would push her into a decision, in that direction at least. The empath sighed and settled down on the Tower roof finally, having drifted in a circumvent fashion around to her goal. Her attention out on the city, the bay side nearest her, she realized the building housing Jinx wasn't so far off. She could just barely make it out against the others nearby. Smiling to herself, distracted, she missed the attentive shadow by the access door on the rooftop.

"I take it your date went well then?" Spinning at the sudden voice, Raven's eyes narrowed, her hands flaring with ebon force before she recognized Robin, striding out to meet her.

Smirking, the girl pulled her hood back up in place, relaxing her powers along with her nerves. "Don't tell me you waited up."

"I'd be lying if I said no one was _concerned_," the Boy Wonder said, and Raven felt his emphasis on the word was doubly implied. She tensed again and walked up to the brightly colored Teen, feeling at his aura, emotions as she did so.

Nothing. It was like staring at Brant, all over again. Only this time she knew the cause. _So this is how things are going to be... _she groused to herself. "I see. And what kind of concerns are you harboring, Robin?"

"What I'm always concerned with, Raven. My team. The city." He stood there, and Raven realized it wasn't just tense for all his anxiety and concern. Robin was in his combat mode.

Glaring openly now, the empath walked right up to the young detectives face and stared, challenging him to say or do any of the maddening nonsense she was sure he was considering. "Lets just get this done now, Robin. What's on your mind?"

Stiffening, Robin's eyes narrowed slightly, "What makes you think-"

Raven's eyes went featureless gray and she hissed the words at him, "Don't be cute. Kori may entertain it, but I will not. You can wear your little nanotech augmented mask, keeping your emotions from me, but you're still easy to read."

The Boy Wonder backed up a step, not expecting things to turn ugly so quickly. "Just – hold on a second, alright? For all I know, Jinx could have tricked you, you could have been brainwashed by Blood, who knows?"

"So this isn't your sad attempt to grill me on my choice of companionship, rather your obsessive paranoia riding you like a demented jockey." Raven smirked, her head aching slightly from the effort to keep her anger from justifying the annoying boy's anxieties.

Robin glared at her assessment and sighed, "Listen, I am concerned and would like to talk about it. Maybe we should all have a meeting and-"

"My love life is not a Tower meeting issue!" Raven snapped, brushing by him and stalking to the door. "If you have a personal issue with me, we'll deal with it personally." she keyed open the door and went inside without another word.

The Tower was relatively quiet for about an hour.

Afternoon stretched into evening and the Teens wandered into the main room, the kitchen to scavenge and discuss dinner preparation and plans. As per usual, Terra was absent, typically coming in late to scrounge leftovers. Beast Boy and Cyborg were arguing on who would cook, occasionally yelling "No!" at Starfire's attempts to participate in this discussion. The perky Tamaranian didn't let this get to her, as she was quietly sipping an economy bottle of Dijon, a blissed out look on her features. Robin was glaring. Mostly at Raven.

_Will this day ever end,_ was Raven's final thought before she accidentally blew up the teapot, causing some small havoc in the Tower kitchen. The reason for that small lapse in her control was sitting across from her, glaring through his mask.

"Raven, I just want to make sure this whole thing isn't going to affect you when it matters."

Reaching up to massage her temples, the empath simply closed her eyes and righted the burst teapot and spilled water. "What's going to affect me more than anything is you, and this incessant harping." The exchange wasn't missed by those nearby, and the kitchen quieted as the atmosphere around the two thickened.

"Look, as much as you may think this doesn't affect anyone else, it does! We need to talk about it."

"_You_ need to talk about it. I'm done talking about it. I'm done talking to you, as well, in fact." Raven stood, her patience dangerously taxed. Not realizing how stressful it would actually be to drop herself back into Tower life after being around Jinx and her emotional buffer, the empath found that Robin's particular bend for seeking any opportunity to harass her was pushing her already thin nerves to a breaking point.

Robin slammed his hand down on the table, the room suddenly going still around the two. "What, are you going to run away again? Like earlier? Like you do from your emotions?"

Raven had risen to walk away, quietly, she had hoped without anymore comment but this... this was too much. Something black and snarling crept up her throat and before she'd realized it, the empath had turned and snarled at the Boy Wonder. Not a quiet annoyed, human noise. A rumbling, grating demonic one. Taking one step back to the kitchen, the lights in it flickered once and went still, dimming. "You want to make this an issue, don't you? You're nice, ordered and controlled little mind can't wrap itself around someone breaking out of your tightly confined little boxes." Raven sat, hovering in air, her legs crossed almost languidly. "Fine. Lets make it a big deal."

Black flared around them all, and the Titans, including the earlier absent Terra found themselves transported to the conference room, the blonde girl blinking up from her book, hair pulled back in a ponytail and a jacket laid across her lap. Blinking around her, the girl raised a brow, ready to ask a question until she spotted Raven. Paling, she just sat, and was still.

The other Titans had similar reactions, except Robin. He would have jumped up and confronted the girl, but she'd bent the chair around him, and clawed the feet into the floor beneath it. He was, for the moment, a captive audience. Raven smiled at him, something inside her thrilling at the anger practically swirling off the youth.

Raising her gaze to the others collected, all in the middle of some other activity, the empath smirked slightly. _No time like the present, to see how they'll take it is there? I hope you're happy Robin. _

"Sorry, but apparently this is such a big deal, that I had to call a surprising meeting to get it taken care of," Raven purred, her voice barbed silk. Still hovering at the head of the table, the empath leaned forward, her gaze still a static gray. "It seems our fearless leader has some concerns he'd like to discuss with us, so lets let him-"

"Damnit Raven, why are you putting words in my mouth? Stop thi-"

"**SILENCE.**" Though spoken quietly, the word carried a command's force with it, and Robin couldn't have spoken that moment had he wanted to. Glancing at the somewhat stunned and immobilized Boy Wonder, the others started understanding the importance of their situation. "Rather, let me explain some things, as he seems somewhat preoccupied.

"First off, I'm dating a girl. Does anyone harbor some issue with me engaging in such a potentially negative societal action?" Her gaze swept around the room, heads shaking until she met Robin's eyes. Releasing the hold she'd put on his mouth, the detective snarled his own at her.

"Raven, so help me..."

Glaring openly, she felt the anger twisting her features. Blinking her four coldly glinting eyes at him, the empath sneered. "I take it you have an issue, Robin?"

"Let. Me. Go." Raven considered this a moment, as well as her own current emotional state. Waving her hand the chair returned to normal, and the youth rubbed at his wrists, but didn't rise. "And to your question, we're a public group, Raven. What kind of reactions do you think people will have if you're seen being with some other girl in public?"

"Considering the state of California's legalized such things, I expect their reactions to be personal issues. Their personal issues. Not mine," Raven quipped.

Robin still glared. "That's not the point, we have an image to maintain."

A smile twisted her lips and she leaned back in the air, taking a breath. "And what, praytell, does that have to do with me? When I'm completely within my rights, and the law?" Robin looked away, realizing to continue this line of conversation would only be playing into Raven's hands. She knew that the rift between them was now irrevocably opened, but she'd hoped things would have gone differently. The boy just knew all her buttons, and since she'd arrived back home, had been insistantly slamming his hand down on them en mass.

"You may be," the Boy Wonder stated slowly, keeping his eyes on the girl in front of him. "But she's not."

Nodding, conceding the point, Raven reached up, throwing her hood back and letting the collected Titan's see the obvious effects of her state. Her four eyes, legacies of her father, glinted coolly against the bright red Mark of Skath twisting around the gem on her forehead. She felt the burning thing claw it's way against her skin before dinner, and had hoped it would remain hidden, the damned tattoos were taking over every inch of her body. Presently, though, the half-demon daughter of Trigon wanted nothing more than to be what she was.

Wicked, terrible, and powerful. Selfishly, she had hoped that this one thing, this one wish she'd had before her fated day of death arrived would not be challenged. Robin had seen to it that she'd have no peace for her determination. He'd challenge her right to happiness based on his morals and views, and with her still rooted fatalism in place, Raven found it... unacceptable.

Perhaps Jinx's gambit could save her.

Perhaps pigs would fly in parkas, through a frozen hell.

And so, with mingled terror, anxiety and horror the Titans saw her as she let them, as she knew she was. "Do you know," Raven growled, her teeth sharpening under the force of her nearly released rage as well, "that Jinx's name is Jennifer Wrangler?" She saw the visible start Robin had, putting the two together. "Ah yes, that one. The one that so much as told you, she'd try her best to curtail crime."

"Raven, that doesn't change anything. She's still a criminal!" Robin countered, his voice not so certain now.

"Yes. She is. And she's still a person. Still someone who's trying to do well, but has to work through other means. Hell, even she doesn't know if it'll work, her plan to unify and keep things safe and controlled in this city. To be honest, she's a lot like you in that. She gives a damn about people. Feels responsible for them. So she can't not try." Raven calmed, her face taking on more of it's softer features again. She couldn't let her rage, even as much as she hated his point of view, well up and strike at Robin. Already she felt remorse for how she'd lashed out at him, and pulled this stunt to make a public display of her own anger.

Terra stood, moving up to stand beside Beast Boy, the changeling having been quietly considering his hands for some time. "Do you still want to be with us Raven?" the youth asked, looking up at her with serious eyes. Nodding, she settled back to the ground and slumped into her own chair.

"I don't see the issue, man. So what if Jinx is Wrangler's kid. Could any of us help how we ended up?" Cyborg shook his head, staring pointedly at Robin. "You can't make this decision for her, Fearless," using their personal nickname for the detective, the metal Teen moved to lay a hand on his shoulder.

Shaking his head in turn, Robin looked back at the now quiet Raven. "I know. I'm not really trying to. I just don't want it to get anyone hurt. Raven included."

"Robin, I'm supposed to be dead in seven days. She makes me happy, and it's really the first time I have been. Really, honestly happy since I had to bind my emotions up in darkness and make them serve me." Looking out the windows blankly, the empath lowered her head to her arms, trying to see the sun glint off the buildings as it set. "I know it bothers you. You think it doesn't bother me? How ironic. I fall in love, a week from my doom. What do you think this will do to her? But she's still with me."

The Titans quieted, the weight of Raven's own view of her fate, as well as the realization that she'd just admitted that Jinx was aware of it as well sinking in. Raven felt their sympathetic melancholy and rose, taking hand and leading them all to the windows with her. Robin and Cyborg followed, seeing what she was doing. Standing in the dying light, she pulled them all into a hug, her eyes damp but her control iron for the moment. "I'm sorry. I keep reminding you all of it. I just can't keep it out of mind these days."

"It is alright, Friend Raven. But you should remember we are all here for you. Is it not what friends do?" Starfire asked, moving beside Robin to stare at him quietly. The earlier events had shaken her, not really used to the boy's anger, his lashing out striking her like a personal blow. Robin kept his eyes down, nodding.

"It is. I'm sorry, for making this harder than it should be. You know why I'm like this, I hope you can forgive it," Robin murmured, refusing to look up for the time being, his mind a flurry of thoughts. Too much, not enough time, seemed to be the rule of the moment, he mused.

Raven walked up and tucked herself into a hug, moving Robin's arms for him. Laughing quietly, Starfire would not be upstaged, wrapping the two up herself and floating up slowly. "I can forgive, just remember something alright?" Robin nodded, signaling her to go on. Raven smiled and leaned back into Starfire's hug, "Not everything is black and white, like your mask."

Slipping her arms around the two, the empath made herself intangible and let the two have a true hug, while she drifted back to the window. Cyborg was staring out at the city, his human eye inscrutable. "You think she would really try and help?" he asked quietly, not really addressing her, perhaps. Raven looked with him, seeing Jump spread our from the bay.

"You grew up here didn't you?" Raven inquired, remembering that the Tower they lived in was a legacy of the boy's father. She had felt the man, his presence still lingering here and there in rooms they never opened. Personal rooms, she knew. It was odd thinking she'd lived here for years now, and still there were places she'd not ventured.

Nodding, the metal Teen turned to the bay again. "I know it's impossible to stop crime, to make this place truly safe. But we try. It's what we do. We all have our reasons, but every now and then even I question it. I did in the H.I.V.E. when I was there. I got to see what growing up different without the kind of family I had will do to you. What any city can do to someone who'd just a little different."

Raven simply stood by him, letting his mind wander. Hers did as well, but as it often did, to Jinx. How has growing up different made her what she is? How much of it has me, she wondered. To her introspection, she knew the answer. Almost all she was, was the result of this difference in her. The taint of her father.

A little more loudly than he meant to maybe, Cyborg went on. "You know what makes a hero to me?" Smiling he laid a hand on that same window, memories of his father and himself, younger, still incomplete and in front of this very window going through his mind. "Heroes are people that try, and make a difference. They may not succeed, they may die trying. But when you try to help, to make things better for others, that makes you a hero."

Beast Boy grinned a bit, leaning on the window by the taller Titan. "Even soup kitchen ladies?"

"Especially soup kitchen ladies. You see what they have to wear?" The Titans giggled at the changeling's humor, drifting off as they would back to dinner, to rooms, or staying. Raven herself went to her room, reflecting on the day.

Reflecting on how easily she lent herself to Rage and nearly let it ride her. Sighing she tried to meditate, her attempts failing but the effort still made. If she failed to fully relax her mind, to drift into her void of feeling, the attempt would still be calming, allow her time to reflect. Dropping onto her bed, deciding she could be as calm napping or sleeping as meditating, Raven glanced to her bedside and the picture there.

"Jinx... " she murmured, the exhaustion and stress from the day catching her unawares. Drifting suddenly, sleep crept up and claimed the Titan, and in dreams, she was finally able to grasp the peace she'd sought that night.

Far away, the dreaming of another demon was not so idyllic. Four cruel, glaring eyes bored into her and she wept, unable to wake and escape the burning glare.

-End

_**END ACT THREE.**_

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A/N: Delay due to much life happening, as it tends to.  
No one's asked this yet, how odd! Title Origin – A play on words, from the phrase _Fait Accompli_, meaning "an accomplished fact; a thing already done" or what could be considered a "Done Deal".  
Three of Seven planned Acts done. Mrrrph. 

Oh, and Fee gets some more attention. Just not the... nice kind. Poor thing.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: All DC characters are owned by their owners, none of which happen to be at this moment. Brant and Fee are mine. Some other people too. Not that you'd need them anyway.**

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_-  
Warning: There is harsh language, suggestive themes, violence... yeah. Oh and a female-centric romance theme. The story deepens, the plot expands, and the complex, sometimes murky and dire history of the Titans begins to shine up at us. Comic elements strengthen, as my story goes more and more AU. Somewhat more serious than GO!, a bit less so than New Titans. Teams listed are my personal invention. Canon? What's that?  
Oh, and thank everything holy for Wikipedia. I just donated a month's salary to that damn place, considering how much I use it.  
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Heroes are more than the costumes they wear. They bleed. They feel. They are as human, as you or I.  
Scary thought isn't it? Who would want to meet Superman on that one bad, miserable Monday. Spontaneous combustion indeed.  
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_**  
Act Four: Razors and the Dying Roses**_

_Act Four Synopsis: The idyllic moments shared by Raven and Jinx are fresh in the dark Titan's mind, but new and challenging turns are just ahead, as the time of the Prophesy draw near. Other forces are acting, placing more players on the board for this cataclysm, unseen and unexpected. As the End draws near, the Titans unexpectedly find themselves growing not only closer as a team, but as a template and model for other young heroes as well. _

**Chapter Eighteen**

_I Titan Tower, Morning I_

Robin sat, his eyes behind the mask he ever wore flitting over the data spread out before him on the screen. He recalled a time, not so long ago really, when his world was simple.

As simple as any teenage hero's life could be.

Villains appeared, the Titans defeated them, then it was back home, to their usual routine.

He trained under Batman to be who he was. The young man Robin had become was a product not only of his own tragic history, but the events since it. Never was he to be the perpetual shadow of the Dark Knight, in fact there was some tension even now to that respect. Robin understood the problem, really. It was simple; Batman was the sort of hero that didn't need an apprentice so much as they needed him. In a world where it was increasingly frequent that heroes were super powered, the simple man, the valiant man with nothing more than themselves had few to look up to. Batman was that pinnacle.

Robin was who he was, but at the same time it was closing in to that point when he needed to move on. Bruce had spoken with him, reminded him of such. The logic behind their argument was solid, really. Robin, having been the first of his type, felt he had the right to keep the name, but Bruce felt that the Robin persona was something more intrinsically tied to the Batman. Bruce had recently been toying with the idea of taking in another apprentice, and if that time came, he'd asked that Robin accede the persona to the new recruit.

The problem was, Robin, as he was now, was comfortable in that role. Perhaps Bruce was right. Perhaps it was time for him to put away the persona of one who was little more than a shadow. "Boy Wonder," he snorted into the darkness of his room, the monitors the only witness to the sour expression on his face. "Maybe it is time to move on. To let these colors define someone else and take up my own." This in mind, the young detective went to work, planning and exploring the idea that maybe he could be someone else. Someone his own, that would be forever separate from the Batman, that would define him as who he is, not who he was.

As he worked, Robin leaned back, his expression suddenly thoughtful. Reaching up, he peeled off the mask he ever wore, and blinked at his reflection on the screen. Blue eyes blinked back at him, and he sighed, reaffixing the mask. _One thing I learned, that will always stick seems to be that who I am, and what I do aren't the same. Richard Grayson has yet to step foot into Titan Tower. Maybe it's time for that to change. _

Rousing from his introspection, the Titan's leader noted a new communication from the Justice League waiting for him. Opening it, the Teen's eyes widened and he suddenly felt the weight of his years, few as they were, come down on him. Setting the mail to a public mailbox he could access with his T-Com, Robin spun out of his chair and called up the rest of the Titans.

Time for another meeting.

"Man, didn't we just do this yesterday?" Beast Boy groused, still yawning despite it being late morning. Robin checked the windows, seeing it was nearly 10 am.

Their leader's only answer was a curt nod, as he waited for all the Titans to assemble. When everyone had been seated, he let the room be taken over with conversation and looked at Raven, hoping she picked up on his body language. The empath easily noticed his attention, having left the augmented mask in his room, and as he stood to move to the large window facing the bay, she accompanied him. "Morning Raven, how'd you sleep?" he ventured, trying to feel out if there was any lingering animosity from the previous day.

Raven stared out at the bay itself, her featured unreadable in her hood. "Well, I just still feel exhausted. It's not... hm. Remind me to speak with you privately about some matters later."

Glancing at her, Robin nodded. The empath seemed somber, nearly subdued this morning. It wasn't really like her, not with everything that was going on in her personal life. Energized, anxious, angry he expected. His experience with her gave him a lot of insight into her emotions, her mind as much as anyone else on the team. She may have kept herself distant, may have tried to quell her emotions to keep them in line, but he could tell where her psychological compass pointed. He'd used it last night to goad her into action, one he himself hadn't foreseen.

Robin had issues with the relationship between Raven and Jinx. He admitted this. But he was not one to make it a personal issue, not at the cost of his friendship with the girl. The two of them had practically formed the Titan's, and of all the them, she was the most reliable, most likely to be there and be solid in the face of any threat. Trust was something she'd earned, many times over, and he felt the need to repay it in some way. If trusting Jinx would show it, would heal that rift he felt growing between them, perhaps it would be worth it.

A part of him said that the former H.I.V.E Elite would prove his instincts correct. She would be a problem for the Titans, one they'd pay for entertaining dearly.

"Something's up with the League, and to back up this portion of the country they're sending us some more new people, to train and work beside," Robin stated, knowing he needed to broach the subject of the secondary transmission to Raven directly. Running a hand through his hair, he noted it was getting longer, and he should cut it soon. Shaking off the idle musing, a side effect of the long rather sleepless night, he continued. "They also wanted me to keep them updated to any... changes. With you."

The empath started, blinking at him a few times in confusion. When he nodded toward her arm, bringing her attention to the Marks working along it, her mouth thinned to a line. "I see. At least this isn't about Jinx," she muttered, pausing when Robin sighed, his head shaking. "So... what's going on then?"

"The League are sending some people to check up on her. Apparently there's some concern on her abilities, and they want to keep an eye on her." Robin looked back out at the city, his mask hiding his expression. "I'm not happy with that. It makes me think there's something they're not telling me."

Raven thought about sharing her new knowledge of the feline's abilities with him, but decided against it. It wasn't an omission of betrayal, or disloyalty on her part, she figured. Simply not something she could easily quantify, or describe. Fueling Robin's anxiety about her girlfriend also wasn't high on her list of priorities. But, she admitted, something would be better than nothing, and may help cement the repairs they knew had to come between them, to keep the Titans working. "I know she's learning to control her powers better. You'd be amazed what luck, refined down to raw probability can do."

Robin considered her a moment, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Aside from making you happy? Nah, that's pretty damn nice on it's own." When the empath blushed he glanced back, gauging the group's impatience to begin. He should begin the meeting, soon. "There's one other thing I need to tell you.

"The League are sending Zatanna, John Constantine and John Stewart here as well, to observe Jinx, and... collect information about the Trigon thing." The two stood silently, staring out at the bay for a minute, possibly longer. Robin's mind was whirring with the news, with plans, and his own anxiety at the number of changes the team was going to need to adjust to in the coming months.

Turning to face him, Raven spared him one of her rare smiles. "Thanks, for warning me. Zatanna and I don't really get along well. Maybe I can be scarce some when they arrive."

"Probably not a bad idea, if you plan on keeping out from under the microscope, as it were," Robin quipped, sharing her smile. Turning serious again, he stepped back away from the window and motioned back to the table. "But I'd be careful, since they're here to check up on Jinx as well, you may want to keep that to a minimum, or be very careful with seeing her." He felt awkward suddenly, realizing he was putting his friendships, his relations with the Titans above the League. Shrugging off the impression as his dutiful nature, he moved back to the table. Perhaps it wasn't entirely right to give Raven the insight that she and her new romantic interest were such points of focus for the League, but it was something a friend would do.

Robin found he valued his friendships, his new family and their wellbeing higher than some moral ideals. That idea wouldn't go well with his mentor, but then again, they didn't always see eye to eye. Despite the masks in the way already.

Sparing him a grateful glance, Raven sat at his left, her usual place. "Thanks," she murmured in reply to his candor, nearly silently in the sudden quiet that followed their return.

Finally beginning the meeting, Robin pulled up the files from his personal mail onto the main screen. "Alright everyone, This is going to be odd, but please keep the questions and peanut gallery commentary to yourselves for the time being. I want you to meet the latest additions to Titans Team," pointing to the main screen, the monitor flashed with an image of the Tower, with themselves in a corner. "Us. As of mid November, there will be a Titans East operating in the New England area, to be organized by a combination of us and the League. We'll be designated Titans West, after that time.

"You may be asking why we're dropping the "Teen" moniker from the name. Well, simply put... Cyborg, how old will you be this coming spring?"

The metal Titan laughed quietly, leaning back in his chair with a creaking of metal from the thing. "Twenty, man. Officially over the hill!" High-fiveing Beast Boy, the two shared a smile before Robin retook the floor.

Nodding to Cyborg, the young detective continued, "Pretty much. We won't be teens forever, and as such, we need to move on with the times. Besides, we've matured as heroes, and people. It's time we reflected this." Robin pulled his T-Com to hand and set the next set of files to display. "Next up, meet our newest members, pending trial and performance checks."

Five pairs of eyes stared at him blankly, as Robin spread the files out on the screen, profiles for the new additions to their team there on display. Robin glanced at the screen then coordinated the slides to his T-Com, setting it to scroll through the the files as he did.

The first was a girl, probably their age, but with her pale skin coloring it was difficult to tell her age by the features of her face alone. She dressed in a modern style, one could call it "mall gothic", and had unruly black hair, styled to keep it up and out of her face. Her code name, the only one visible on the profile, was listed as Argent. "This is Argent, real name withheld. She's an American metahuman from the East Coast. New Jersey I believe." Queuing up a small run of video that was supplied with his mail from the League, they watched as the youth worked a silvery plasma into various shapes, controlling it in a way similar to Raven and the Green Lantern, from the League itself. "That plasma stuff is a solid energy construct. It's also responsible for her skin color, I'm told. Outside of this file, available in the database, little is known about Argent. May be best to ask her yourself."

Second up was a red headed male, slightly taller looking though it could have been that he was just rather thin. Sporting a mostly yellow outfit, with red leggings and a brief mask that more seemed there to accent his hair. The main thing that was noticeable about the youth was that he had startling green eyes and a roguish smile. "This one is Kid Flash, another American hero in training with the League. His real name is Wally West, and the first thing you may notice is his costume's resemblance to the current Flash." Noticing a hand belong to Beast Boy in the darkened room, in the air awaiting his attention, Robin paused and nodded to the changeling. "Go ahead, Gar."

Considering the screen a moment, the green skinned youth spoke up, "so the League is sending us new people? Why?"

"I understand the curiosity, but let me finish with the files, then we'll field the questions. I was curious to that one enough to ask directly, so I'll answer first," Robin stated, turning his attention back to the slides as the rest of his team looked on.

"Kid Flash is a lot like his mentor, in that he's capable of immense speeds, without the problem of physics getting in his way. He'll be better able to explain this, as I know at least Cyborg will be curious about how moving at faster than sound and such could cause some odd repercussions to a normal person," Pausing, he again set up a video feed, this one showing West zipping around a practice room, making minced wreckage of the automated systems with well placed repetitive hits, and as a stop motion indicated, good use of inertia. He was also demonstrated using his speed to move across standing water, as well as up a sheer building face. "Pretty impressive." Robin stated simply.

Changing the file, they next saw a girl, in a rather odd outfit, from what they were used to at least. The top was a midriff baring affair, in red with the familiar symbol of Diana Troy, Wonder Woman, in gold across it. Simple jeans in red with high black boots finished the outfit. Her blonde hair was held back in pigtails in one picture, in another she sported a black halter top with the same logo as before. In at least one picture she wore a pair of goggles, pulled up to hold her hair back. Accenting her wrists were large silver braces, and she also had another symbol calling back to her assumed mentor. On her hip, rested a yellow lasso. She wore an expression of youthful exuberance, and throughout seemed to be smiling. "This is... huh. Wonder Girl. The second. Weird." Robin shook his head and sighed, tapping his T-Com to bring up the video feed as he spoke.

Most of the Titans, sans Robin and Raven, were a bit stunned as the blonde bombshell literally blasted her way through a fighter plane, fist first. Later she was shown using her lasso as a whip, the backlash striking with the crash of a lightning bolt. "Cassie Sandsmark, heir to the Wonder Woman legacy. Apparently gifted by Zeus and Ares... what? Those guys are real?" Blinking, the Boy Wonder looked back up at the video, watching Cassie go through a complex series of aerial maneuvers, her goggles down and hair out of it's bindings. She apparently broke the usual standard in costuming, choosing between a few tops and a few pairs of pants depending on the situation. Robin harbored a hope the girl wasn't a fashionista, and prayed was someone as nice as the Donna Troy he'd met once before. "Anyway, she's a powerhouse, reminiscent of Starfire. The Lasso has electric properties, she can fly, and has high level endurance and strength, in the superhuman levels."

"Moving on," their leader went on, as the team absorbed, or tried to, the reality of the new members they'd be working with. Beast Boy had an expression of dread on his face, while Cyborg seemed thoughtful. Terra was concentrating on the presentation, unlike her normal behavior, while Raven was stoic and observant, her eyes steady and expression, what could be seen, coolly calculating. Starfire seemed on the verge of laughing, the prospect of new friends for her to interact with a treat to the exuberant alien.

The next file could have been a placed in order to counter the relatively positive impression the last left on the Titans. What took their attention, more than the vicious display of force and ability on the screen, was the utterly cold, silent and still form of Robin, staring at the girl on screen there. "This is Rose Wilson. Daughter of Slade Wilson, otherwise known simply as Slade, or Deathstroke the Terminator. She goes by the name Ravager." On screen, the files rotated slowly from a view of the girl in civilian clothing, her shockingly white hair down or up in a ponytail, a conspicuous patch over her left eye. The next view showed her in her traditional costume, a mirror of her father's. Her orange and deep blue mask had only one eye on the right side, and the orange detailing continued in her gloves and high, flourished boots. A blue tunic covered a mesh-woven Kevlar and chain link bodysuit, that was demonstrated with painful effect to be capable of stopping small arms fire. "She shares many of her father's abilities, as well as a slight precognitive ability that enhances her reflexes." The videos were something the Titans could have remembered from memory, but the fact is was a young teenage girl moving there, and not their longtime enemy, made the even surreal. Robin didn't continue his observations or opinions, but simply moved on, somber and thoughtful.

A picture of a face most found familiar, if not outright shocking came up next. Many of the assembled muttered small gasps or denials that what they were seeing was in fact, what was there as Robin cleared his throat loudly, silencing the milling as the second picture rotated into view. "You know this one, I guess. Kara Zor-El, cousin of Superman, also known as Supergirl. Kind of high profile... but she's obviously one of ours." Videos of newsreels passed, and the team nodded in recognition of this newscast, or that magazine spread. Her costume was a feminine version of her cousin's, with a blue skirt, red boots, a midriff baring top with the iconic "S", and a red cape. Her blonde hair and icy blue eyes were framed in a face that seemed set in marble, expression seeming to come rarely to the girl. "She's essentially the same as Superman in power, which means she's limited by solar radiation. Exposure to our sun's light causes her metabolism to express various effects. First among them is tremendous strength, and endurance. A bio-electric field allows her to be nearly invulnerable, while a form of personal kinetic field allows for flight and the ability to extend that field to held or contacted items." With a wry expression the Boy Wonder sped up through the rest of her particular files, shaking his head. "Don't expect her to hang around here."

Raven, her opinion of the files up to this point rather dry, quirked an eyebrow at this quiet comment. "Why's that, Robin?"

"Jump's too 'small change' for someone of her caliber," he groused, punching in the command for the next file.

With a start, most of the Titans peered back at their own teammate, Beast Boy after the file opened and they got a look at the next girl's face. Green skin, shock red hair and a modest costume, practically a school uniform in white, consisting of a red cross shape across her chest extending from shoulders to hips, and a skirt similar to that of Supergirl and a matching blue collared cape defined a girl who's stance seemed more... shy than daring. "Megan Morse, or M'gann M'orzz, who is apparently a Martian, much like the Manhunter of the League. Similar abilities, and similar... society issues." The video playback elicited a few giggles, as the well-meaning girl seemed hesitant to resort to violence sometimes harassing villains to change their ways until forced to defend herself. The laughter stopped when the girl was forced into a fear induced rage from a nearby fire, and took on a shape more suited to nightmare. White, scaled skin with cruel red eyes in a sharp angular visage, with a wicked maw of teeth, took the place of a shy and unassuming girl. No one missed her use of telekinesis in either form, or the details of her race's "War Form". "Though the Manhunter has never... took on a form like that, we have some assurance that it's natural for Morgan's race."

Cyborg raised his hand and Robin paused the profile viewer, rubbing at the bridge of his nose from an oncoming headache. It had nothing to do with his team, and everything to do with the idea of integrating more unknowns into his well-oiled machinery. Nodding to the older Titan, he waited for Cyborg's question.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but um... " smiling apologetically to Terra, Starfire and Raven, the metal hero continued, "Isn't this new lineup... kinda female biased?"

Smiling wryly, Robin shook his head. "Not really. These are new people we've not met before, really. Other Titans that will be on the main roster, that like these will be part of East or West team, are old friends." Keying up the other file he put in the system earlier, Robin had other pictures appear before his team. Images of familiar faces showed there; Speedy, Aqualad-Tempest, Bumblebee, Hotspot, Batgirl, and even Superboy. Other photos were there, more people they didn't recognize or recall, as Robin felt that for now, there had been enough profiles. "Seems the League is taking the younger generation seriously, and where they, the Justice League and it's main body are going to focus not only worldwide but outside of Earth, we 'young'uns' are to be left in charge of keeping things sane."

Robin keyed the lights back on to normal levels, revealing the expected looks on his teams faces. Mostly shock and some sense of dissociation from the gravity of what was going on. Deciding that he needed to cement his core resources, he sat and regarded each person individually, for many long moments.

Tough decisions were to be made. He needed to act, and soon. Not only was Raven's birthday coming up, but now the weight of organizing and distributing easily three times their original number of heroes across the US was becoming a reality. He had to take some steps, and serious ones, to ensure his leadership, his ability to trust and depend on his team was ironclad. Smiling suddenly, he leaned back in the chair and sighed. "I think, that as long as I've known you all, there's something we've all never done."

Beast Boy's eyebrow rose and he was about to say something when Terra elbowed him sharply, causing Starfire to spare him a concerned look, and the changeling himself to wince in pain. Robin smiled himself, and decided that, after two years of fighting along side these once-strangers, time had earned more than trust. "Not that, but something just as important. Who here remembers playing the name go round in school?" When only he and Cyborg raised hands, he also raised a brow in surprise. "Well, this will be new I guess. The game works like this...

"Someone says their name, and then something they like with the first letter. Pretty simple hmm?"

"Uh, Robin, I don't mean to rain on your parade," Beast Boy put in, his face betraying his confusion. "But don't we all know each other's names? I mean... oh" Realization hit him, and Robin nodded somberly, his smile never faltering.

"Who wants to start?" looking around the table, at the somewhat confused but also shocked faces looking back at him, he laughed. It had been some time since the Titans had heard their leader do that, and to be honest, they missed it. Tensions lessened, and everyone moved their chairs a bit closer to the table, expectation, excitement prevalent in the room.

Starfire spoke up next, her voice obviously a bit troubled. "What about the protecting of the identity? Does not the code name offer us protection?"

Raven nodded, but added, "It does, most of the time. But we're all pretty high profile. Most of us had, or had tried to make contact with society before. People who know how, will know us. And for many of us," looking around the table, the empath noted how few of them actually had families to be hurt by the revelation of their identities and sighed internally. "There really aren't many people that could be targeted, by a vengeful enemy." Most of the assembled nodded affirming her statement.

"Besides, among us, who is there to mistrust?" Terra quipped, Beast Boy shooting her a wary look. "Hey, I know, OK? But we've all been together what? Two years? Who's to say that's not a weird place to be, living in the same place as people, yet not knowing their name. Hell if you want, guys, I'll go first."

Robin stood up at that, waving his friends back to silence as they argued on who would go first. "Hold on, hold on!" When they had settled and he had their attention again, Robin ran a shaky hand through his hair. Nervously, the detective reached up, his hands suddenly unsteady as they gripped the sides of his mask, his vision locked on Starfire's gaze as her eyes shot wide, not expecting this today. With a gentle pull, the spirit gum he'd affixed the mask with released it's hold, and with his blue eyes, looked back at his team. His family.

"My name is Richard Grayson. I like working on and the idea of owning roadster, muscle cars and motorcycles," he finished lamely, having forgot to think of something interesting when this idea sprung up on him. Regardless, the effect was telling, as the other's looked up at him as if seeing him for the first time. Sitting back down, he left the mask off, setting it by his hand. Despite the rush of the moment, he felt oddly vulnerable, naked without it. His trust battled with his anxiety, and eventually won out, in a silent war he knew only one person there could fathom. She stood by him, and in a low voice began her own entry in today's memorable meeting.

"My mother named me Rachel, and her last name was Roth." Smiling slightly, her hood being back not nearly the caliber as Robin's bombshell maneuver, she none the less felt the exposure of the moment, so idly laying bare herself, her history to her team. "I um. I like reading." laughing quietly, she sat back down, quelling the quaking in the windows she'd set loose with the errand mirth. "Sorry, nothing too new there, but you go. Well, I also like the band Radiohead, but that-"

"-Is so nineties, dude!" Beast Boy grinned at the look Raven was shooting him, glad he wasn't made of paper and likely to combust.

Smirking the empath leaned back in her chair. "And how many Hootie and the Blowfish CD's do you own?"

"Hey! They happen to be-" he trailed off as Cyborg clapped his friend on the shoulder, standing as the next in line.

Glancing around the table, he grinned suddenly. "You all know my name is Victor Stone. And well..." the metal teen paused, considering for a moment before slapping a hand into his fist. "I am best at being victorious at the Gamestation!" Grinning at his declaration, he looked around at his giggling teammates, and Beast Boy's annoyed visage.

"Dude, that is so not right. You don't always win," the young changeling complained, folding his arms and sulking.

"Naw, but statistics say I usually do." Still wearing a huge grin, Cyborg sat and waited for Beast Boy to take the floor.

Standing, the green youth looked around shyly, as if the room were full of strangers, rather than old friends. "Well, my full name is Garfield Mark Logan, but most of the time in Doom Patrol, I went by Gar," the nervous teen began, warming to the audience he had as he spoke. "I've also gone by Changeling, but there was an incident with some fairies... anyway. I'm big time into games; PC games, console games, jokes, gags. You name it, I'm into it." Sitting back down he leaned back in his chair, thoughtful. "Oh, I guess I'm also a bit of a gearhead. I like working on things."

Nodding, Cyborg remembered the moped his friend had worked on for the better part of a few weeks recently. "Yeah, we need to head down in the garage and work on that thing some more today, don't we? Got to get your wheels up and rollin', baby!"

Beast Boy grinned, a sly look on his face. "Well, we could just save some time, and you could let me use your car-"

"Dude. No one takes Melissa without my say. And you don't get the say."

Raven's head turned slowly, regarding the man beside her with incredulity. "Melissa? The T-Car is named... Melissa?"

Glancing around nervously, Cyborg sputtered and backpedaled but was cut off by his friend's laughter. Joining in, they turned to the next person in line, who was fidgeting with her gloves. "Oops, sorry," Terra began, hopping up nervously. "Um, my name's Tara Markov, yeah real original huh? Tara, Terra..." grinning, she shifted her weight from one foot to another, looking thoughtful. "Can't think of anything that starts with "T"... hm." Blinking, she grinned and looked back up. "Oh! Right, heh, that was easy. I like TEA, from like Starbucks. Chai tea is the best." Happy to have that done, she sat quickly and looked over to Starfire, missing the amused looks the Titans were giving her, after the speedy outburst.

The Tamaranian stood and smiled brightly at the group, her hands out to her sides, like she was expecting a hug. "Friends! You know since our journey to Tamaran and the interference of my sister that my name is Koriand'r. And I most enjoy the kicking of butt that we all engage in on a regular basis!" Apparently done, the gleeful alien sat and turned her green gaze back to Robin, who was smiling as well at his team.

Regarding them all a few moments, as they turned and chatted occasionally, at one point Starfire asking Terra if Chai had any relation to mustard, Robin felt that this was a good step. He'd opened up lines of communication and familiarity, not only between the others, but between himself and them as well. In the time ahead of them, when things could very easily go so very wrong, or the stress of a team stretched too thin could break them, this was vital._I wonder how many of the League know each other's name, having heard it from each other_, Robin mused. Reaching up to turn the monitor to display the various icons of personnel files, he returned his attention to the table, and his team. "Ok, time to get back to task. First question was Gar's, about why the League is sending us so many new people, and why they're forming up a Titans East."

Looking over the pictures there, the Titans quieted, all with questions regarding this new change in their lives. Robin continued, "From the answer I received, the new Titans team will be in place to organize and relieve stress on the League, as there have been a lot of changes, and frankly, some people are having problems keeping up with the boom in metahumans and would-be villains in a solo manner."

Never one to let an opening go unnoticed, Beast Boy's voice chimed in at this, "So, the Bat finally admitting he needs help, huh?" The group laughed a bit at this, remembering that though Robin and Batman shared much, their views on some things were vastly different. One of those being how they approached their work. Where Batman felt he had to do his work personally, had to take all the responsibility on his own shoulders, Robin felt that in the strength of numbers, in varying your approaches, you could accomplish more. Sure Batman had his resources, had many people on his 'payroll' as it were, but they were kept in the dark much of the time about what they were truly doing. It was as if he were selfish in his vengeance. Or his goals.

"So, the second part of the answer was something I had to dig around a bit for, and it's kind of ugly." Notes on the League's numbers flashed up, a graph beside the number of incidents, number of metahumans recognized and also a line of data representing the next generation, the younger heroes. The League's entry on the chart was steadily, at one point dramatically, declining, while all other numbers rose. "Pretty self explanatory. Some events off-world and some classified weren't available for me to scan, but this at least should say enough. The League needs new blood."

Raven looked at the graph, then keyed her own communicator, changing the view back to the original view of the profiles. "I don't know about you, but some of these people are very... green. No offense Gar."

"None taken."

Grinning wryly, the dark Titan continued, "I'd feel nervous with some of these people being untested, sent out raw against some of the things out there."

Robin regarded the list, nodding slowly in agreement. "What do you suggest? I mean, we could boil it down to two teams of five, but with this many people, this much potential resource, it'd be a waste."

"Oh, I agree. But then again, we barely utilize our own resources," Raven stated, pulling up a schematic for the Tower, turning the framework to an angle to show utilized rooms in red, and the rest left blank. Roughly a third of the Tower was outlined in crimson. "We have much more facility to work with, why not open up areas in the Tower, to give us more in the way of training and dormitories?"

Cyborg stood, moving to the screen to peer at the Tower that was a legacy, as much as he was, to his father. The others stilled, letting him gather his thoughts, the final word, regardless of the Leagues desires, at least in this case, being up to him. Rubbing at his chin, the metal teen laughed quietly, regarding the blueprint in digital before him. _"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things,"_ he said quietly, almost too quiet to hear. "It's been a long time since I've even been in some of my Dad's old rooms, y'know?"

Standing quietly, Raven moved to his side, laying a hand on his arm, looking at the schematic along with him. "I didn't know you were religious." When he smiled slightly, looking at her askance she turned, regarding the yellow rooms popping up as he entered data on his own arm-based mechanism.

"It's hard to be, sometimes. But some things, the good things, are worth holding on to." Done, he turned and regarded the other Titans, motioning at the many yellow rooms outlined on the schema. "These are my old family quarters, some old labs and rooms I generally just never opened up." A room in the Tower basement, blinked blue briefly. "Tomorrow, if you guys don't mind, we can start clearing those out and putting the things that need to be saved down in B-2 storage."

Raven looked up at her longtime friend, concern clear in her eyes. "Cyborg, that's your history, in those rooms. Are you sure?"

Victor grinned, tapping his temple lightly with a finger, "History isn't in things, but in here." Looking back at the screen, he nodded once. "It's time. Something in me says so."

"Say anything about me borrowing the car?" Beast Boy quipped, popping over one of Cyborg's shoulders suddenly.

Spinning around and trying to dislodge the green gremlin, Cyborg muttered. "Says you need to sit down before I put you down," the two argued back and forth as they moved back to the table, the others either giggling at their antics or shaking their heads at the silliness.

Robin, happy that one hurdle he'd not foreseen was going to be cleared up, saved the schema and set the screen back to the profiles. "Now, about what to do with the ones that aren't quite ready to work in the field..." Considering, the question, he nodded to Raven, "the idea of housing and training is good. But that's going to tax us a bit; people will need to not only be ready to be active in the field, but also to train and oversee. We'll figure that out in time, though."

Again, Raven looked around, and spoke, her voice quiet but steady, "How did the League pick these people out, and what leeway do we have in it?"

"Yeah... as much as I like the idea of having more backup at times, especially when the next Slade pops up, I'd rather be able to pick my allies, y'know?" Terra added, her attention still on the screen. "I don't really have anything against these guys, but some of them, like Supergirl, I dunno. I mean, we're ok; we don't need one of the Super Family here to watchdog us."

Looking thoughtful, Raven shook her head at this, "I don't think they'll be watchdogging so much as just here to bolster our numbers. True, someone of her range of skills will make things... awkward. We may be more on the powered end of the spectrum as opposed to the people surrounding Batman, no offense Robin," she added quickly. He grinned, shaking his head. "But we manage. Maybe we're all just a bit anxious at having someone so... ugh, I hate to say this, but nearly flawless working beside us. We're all human; even Starfire. We make mistakes, we're fallible. The "Super Family", as Terra put it, tend to be strict idealists, and rather more... perfect than we try to appear."

Starfire, somewhat flattered by Raven's comment, looked at Robin with a question clearly on her mind, "Robin, what do you think of this Supergirl?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," he replied, sighing and rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "I've met Superman once or twice, and her once. It was always very... formal. Maybe that was due to Batman, maybe it's just a holdover from the League, but they're a different sort than us. Idealists, like Raven mentioned. We'll just have to wait and see how things play out I suppose." Glaring at the monitor somewhat, he did make a point to cycle the profiles a bit. "I don't like publicity though. Call me traditional in Batman's way, but heroes don't need press conferences. We do what we do, and that's all we need. If someone needs public accolade to make themselves matter... this isn't the place they belong." Most of the team nodded, Raven still looking thoughtful.

"One thing still bothers me," she began, her hands flitting over the keys on the table before her, T-Com beside her forgotten. Profiles moved to the foreground, in pairs. "Hotspot and Mergan Morse. Those two can't even be in the same building, obviously." More pairings cropped up, some less obvious, some more so. "Superboy and Girl, likely on separate teams. It goes on. But the problem I see... what kind of teams are we going to end up with? How do we determine balance and who's most compatible?"

"Right, sometimes it's not so much what skills people have that balance a team, as how they work with one another," Terra added, leaning back with her arms crossed now, expression pensive. "I'm not against new people, but I wonder how they'll take being... well lorded over, by strangers."

"No one is going to be lording over them, Terra," Robin began, but saw her point. "Some of them are rather individual. It's going to be awkward getting everyone on the same page."

Raven snorted, her head shaking slowly. "Sometimes I think the H.I.V.E. had it easy. Blood just ironed the wrinkles in people out with hypnosis and mind control. Oh well, the trials of taking the high ground."

"Indeed," Robin said, a wry grin at Raven and her obvious hint about emotional control, against and for the new team. He was well aware she could likely manipulate a large number of the groups to work very well together – until of course they realized she'd had her hand in their minds. Some times he was very, very glad that regardless how dangerous her powers could be, how devastating her outbursts managed to make themselves, that the dark Titan was on their side. That she managed herself as well as she did, and wanted to help, rather than harm. An evil Raven, fully utilizing her power for that end, was a frightening thought.

"Speaking of the H.I.V.E.," Cyborg began, and Raven's heart raced despite her. "After Jinx and Gizmo defected, we kept an eye on most of the kids in the Academy. Quite a few have tried going legit, some are just lazing around, working one gig to the next." Weighing his words carefully, the metal teen looked to Raven for some sign he should stop, but when she simply met his eyes and looked away, he continued, "some of them, I got to know real well. Some, like Jinx and Gizmo, aren't all that bad. Maybe we should look them up, before some other Brotherhood Of Nasty Punks shows up and gives them an offer."

Robin also looked at Raven, and seeing her looking nervously at her own hands, sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know about that one. I mean, sure, they could mean well, could help out. But what guarantee do we have they'd not turn on us, if pressured right? That they'd really take this seriously?"

Cyborg laughed, his head shaking slightly as he pointed to the screen. "What guarantee do you have about them?"

"Hrm. You have a point. Alright, but case by case. No Mad Mod, no Control Freak. You get the idea."

Terra made a sick noise and turned a shade somewhat complementary to Beast Boy. "Second the motion regarding Lard of the Rings."

"Hey, that was pretty good," Beast Boy added, giggling at the pun.

Elbowing him slightly, the blonde winked at the changeling, "I learn from the best."

"Also... I know someone I'd like us to check out. See how they'd fit in. This whole recruitment thing would be a good opportunity I guess," Raven added, trying to mask the nervousness in her voice. "Oh, and it's not Jinx."

"Yeah, I was about to ask. I know she has her hands full and all..." Robin added, peering curiously at the Titan beside him. "I guess if anyone has some suggestions, for our own um, recruitment drive, now would be a good time to mention them."

Raven nodded, taking out a small photo she'd made with her T-Com of Fee. Placing it on the table, the computer built into it scanned and processed her picture and placed it in a blank file on screen, a prompt blinking saying the system was ready for input. "This is Fee, a recent... friend, of Jinx and mine. Her eyes are closed because she's a Succubus, a particular kind of demon that feeds on emotions, dreams specifically, and has a natural affinity for charms and glamour."

"She is a model of fashions, Friend Raven?" Starfire chirped, her confusion evident but not unwarranted; Fee was rather striking, in a way they Titans were familiar with. With Starfire, who'd been offered and briefly took, a modeling job, they were rather aware how beauty could take many forms.

"Not that kind of glamour, Star. For her, it's like a spell that ensnares the mind. Apparently, for Fee the bulk of it is in her gaze."

Robin raised a brow during this, his mind whirring quietly. "Should I ask precisely why Jinx knows a demon? I'm assuming she was originally her friend, with your background."

Nodding, Raven smirked at their leader, making him squirm slightly. "You'd be surprised the people she's come to know, recently. But yeah, she's a recent acquaintance. Jinx was planning on putting her on a security detail, and since neither of us know a lot about her... I offered to sponsor her for training, and more importantly, observation here."

"You don't trust her." The statement was flat, but steady, and Raven nodded at Robin's assessment.

Sighing, she leaned back, tilting her head to regard the picture. "I'd be lying if I said I did. I trust Jinx; Fee is someone I don't know. I'd rather have some time to see how she functions, how she acts around others, and what she's capable of, before I... let her loose on her own with Jinx." Looking around at the others, she sighed again, biting her lip. "It's selfish, and probably a little manipulating to do it this way. But if she's going to be that close to Jinx, I'd feel better if I, we, not only knew all her capabilities, but if she was trustworthy. With the others, we know they would be here to be heroes. Or at least do good. Fee would be here to be watched."

Looking around the table, the empath felt at the emotional atmosphere and found that no one was very agitated, or annoyed at her request. They understood, even if they didn't really agree or feel anything strongly one way or another about her relationship with Jinx.

"I don't see why not," Robin said carefully, making a few entries in the file and putting back with the others. "Well get the details out of the way soon though. Did anyone else have someone they'd want to, well, sponsor?"

Cyborg bit at his lip, and nodded, speaking up finally. "Yeah. Yeah I do actually. But can you give me some time to talk to, er, well them?" Raven raised an eyebrow, a slight smile on her lips. Silently she mouthed the word 'them' back at him with a question on her face. Grinning slightly, he nodded very slightly.

Robin missed none of this, chuckling to himself. "Sure, we have till the middle of November before this all gets complicated anyway. Three weeks enough time?" Cyborg nodded and Robin looked back at the screen, obviously accepting the metal teen's judgment to be something worthwhile in this case. He had an inkling of how it would play out... but time would tell. Furrowing his brow, the young detective went over the multitude of things that were pending, the huge changes that were upcoming. One thing still stood out, and with some anxiety he changed the screen to a calendar, Halloween highlighted on the screen. Beside him, Raven took a sharp breath and looked his way.

"We need to figure out, what is we will be doing to help you Raven." Shooting Cyborg a look, which the teen nodded back to, the leader continued, Raven looking between the two curiously. "Is there anything you can tell us that will help in defeating, or working against, or stopping or well, anything, this Trigon?"

Shaking her head, Raven sank in her seat. "I really... don't know. I was taught from an early age that he was nearly omniscient. A god. Or at least a demon powerful enough to seem godlike." Rising to her feet, Raven paced a bit, before the windows. She considered Jinx's tale, the hints, still unexplained, about how she could help. Raven considered this a wonderful, precious gift, that Jinx would go to such ends for her... but she also considered the effort futile. Her own studies had availed her nothing, and in the end, she was left with only what she knew, and that was her impending doom. "The Marks will spread until the hour of my birth, then I'll... well something unpleasant will happen. Either I'll be made into a portal, he'll possess me, something. It'll be bad, that's all I really know." Looking away from the Titans, violet eyes regarded the bay, empty, unseeing. "Whatever form it takes, the Prophesy says that I won't survive it."

"Hell with Prophesies, man!" Cyborg blurted out, glaring around the table at his teammates, rousing them in his own anger. "We've beat everything that's come at us. We can do this."

Terra stood too, and walked up to her friend, to stop her pacing. Putting her hands on Raven's shoulders, she turned the empath back to face the team. "Really. I know you've had this beaten into you from a young age, but what has all that's happened with us, with the Titans, shown you?"

Raven looked at her and blinked, confused. Sweeping her eyes along the other faces turned to her, she saw the same determination, same resolve on every face. Almost without sound, she said the one word that was the most painful, most rending of all those she knew. Even above the burning that swept over her with Jinx, this one left her reeling, and it scared and thrilled her as well. "Hope."

Robin stood, and the other Titans joined him. "Exactly. We'll fight, we'll win. You're our friend Raven. No one is going to take you away from us, like that." Nods and agreements passed around them, and Raven tried to keep herself calm, her smile breaking through regardless.

"Thank you," she said, again almost silently. "I don't know what Jinx has planned, hell I don't know if she can tell me. Sometimes these things work that way... But if you want, I can call her. See what she can tell us."

Robin nodded, looking to his team and seeing everyone there in agreement. "I think that'd be good, Raven. I know maybe we don't have the same opinion on some things, but we can agree on that

"None of us are going to stand by and let this happen."

_I Deep below Jump City I_

Outside the room, noises of gunfire, screams and the moans of the dying sounded, as he stood and surveyed his new world.

The temple was taking form nicely. Drones taken from the accursed city above slaved, hollowed out the bedrock and shaped this place. Among them, many of his previous guard, memories of another life he'd left behind to rot in the ground. The room stretched out immensely, the floor a space for his worthy to worship. Many would serve in time.

All served, in the end. His Lord had instilled this truth in him, and it rang so true.

Sebastian Blood glared about him, his anger at the memory of the previous Blood's failure, despite it not truly being his, shining cruelly in his eyes. Such narrow goals! Such wasted resources! The thralled humans and metahumans around him cowered, shied away instinctually from his rages. Mother Mayhem walked through the portal, a still smoking carbine rifle in her hands. "The unfaithful among them have passed, Lord."

"Good. Their lack of belief was a failing in my armor. The Church must be perfect. The faith of the worthy is our power." Smiling, his teeth sharp in the dim light, he surveyed the room, planning where the most recent... adornments, harvested from the unworthy would be placed. "As it's herald, I must be as well. Perfect." Stepping to a small alcove in the temple proper, the grandly dressed man sat at the lone terminal there, a connection he required to the upper world. Details of his agent's work flowed, and coalesced there, as he contemplated which of his thralls to release from their mental bonds this night.

It was much more pleasurable, when their minds were free to cower, revile and understand precisely what horrors and desecrations he was visiting upon them.

Few of his previous... students were still in his care. Only the most ruthless and cunning had been contacted to remain in this incarnation of his Church. The previous Blood had proven unworthy in the eyes of their god, their true Lord, and had been punished, severely.

His pulse still raced at the memory. The sound of skin ripping slowly away from viscera, the choking, wet sounds that followed when shadowy claws rended the man from the inside out... Sebastian shivered, his eyes half closing. Oh yes, tonight's sport would be memorable.

Satisfied that his mundane agencies were functioning properly, and in the needed secrecy, the new Brother Blood turned his attentions to less mundane arrangements. Sweeping from the alcove, drones and thralls fell from his path, clamoring in stupor to avoid his ire. One was to slow, stumbling in her weakness to escape his path. Reaching down he grasped her by the throat, pulling her up solidly to him. "Thrall, know your place... do you intend to be a hindrance to me?" Her weakened mind had little intelligence to answer him, and in disgust he flung the walking waste from him, taking small pleasure from the sound of breaking bone. The thrall, unphased, stood and on her crushed hip continued to grind at the stone floor and walls, her blood adding to the acrid smell of scoured stone.

Sebastian Blood was well and happily home. Snatching at a former H.I.V.E. drone's hair, he pulled the still healthy man with him, the mindwiped fool unaware of his fate. Reaching the raised altar at the far end of the temple, the lead Cultist held the man before him, intoning the ancient words of the prayer that fueled the new Church, fueled him, and his drive to conquer.

Glowing, runes of Skath circled in the air, gaining speed as the man's voice grew louder, until in a final screaming crescendo the latest of the brood of Blood released his mental bonds on the drone, giving the man a few brief moments to contemplate his mortality.

Those moments were spent trying desperately to gather his spilled innards, as Blood reached around and ripped the man open from ribs to hip, flinging him face up on the altar before him. The final words passed his lips, and in an explosion of blood and viscera the man simply ceased to be, his body ripped apart at nearly the molecular level to remain a fine mist in the air. Hellish light flickered, finally coalescing into a face most terrible, antlers adorning wide, brutal brows over baleful crimson eyes. As Blood watched, the apparition's expresssion rose, becoming aware of him, and in that moment the beast's other eyes opened, drilling into the man who stood before him.

_Trigon hears you, Minion. Speak._

"Lord, we have nearly completed the new temple, in your honor," the Cultist intoned, hands still dripping from the gruesome ritual. "The army gathers in your name, to strike out at the unworthy on the day of your ascent," the man continued, the eyes on him unreadable in the alien, demonic visage. His eyes rose to regard the apparition before him, and Blood waited, patiently for the words of his Lord. He had waited nearly two decades, since his birth to usurp his idiot father, and to find himself worthy of this new honor, to serve first among the worthy – Sebastian Blood would not fail. Would not falter.

_Your army is weak, but that will be remedied. For now, I have a use for such... weakness._ Humor was a terrible thing to behold, in a visage wrought of rage and hate, but Blood none the less smiled his inhuman smile with his Lord. _Follow these directions, and my will, be done._

_Serve me well, last of the line of Blood. Your reward will be survival. Failure..._ The voice faded, and the mist of blood that hung suspended in air fell with a sickly wet noise to the stained marble. The implication was clear, but Blood felt no fear.

He would not fail. The Lord's words were etched into his mind, and he set about to the terminal once more, running his hands along the Shroud about his shoulders, smiling slightly as the garment drank thirstily of the blood he gave it. Once his fingers touched the keys, the implications of his Lord's plan started becoming clear, and he smiled. _This will be glorious_, he crooned to the madness curled in his mind. He set aside a dozen of his most... whole minions to see to this, knowing he needed to be present to puppet the fools as well as needed. No room for error.

_Despite the fact, this was a planned fall,_ he thought gleefully. _Oh, and what a fall it shall be..._

_I S.T.A.R.S. Research and Laboratories, Las Vegas I_

Vanity. It was the curse of many men, since ages immemorial. It drove the powerful to excess, and their fall. It weakened the pillars of civilization and laid low mighty empires. Drunk on it, some were blind to the madness they indulged in.

Simon Jones was vain, in the way scientists who obsess on their own progress and abilities can only be. Jones' research was vital, he assured his funding teams, in the security and independence of the common, everyday man from the threats that lurked around and inside our own reality. With heroes and villains who have literally crawled out of an into the nothing behind the fabric of the world, it was obviously truth, if one counted such paranoia legitimate.

True, there were those that did exactly that.

But his research seemed less... defensive as communicative, as time progressed. Realizing his still high intellect could do nothing more than he pressed it to, the man became desperate, nearly crazed to make that contact, devise some window by which he could buy more time. His efforts were futile, for the most part. The veil between dimensions had been resistant to his attacks, and for good reason.

You see, Simon Jones was brilliant. But he was not nearly brilliant enough to attempt, and succeed in his stated endeavor. But that wasn't something he could understand, as he beat with figurative fists against the brick wall that was the barrier he sought to breach. Time and again he came so close, yet success was wrenched away. Soon, his research partners would pull their funding. Soon, he'd be reduced to a laughingstock, a mockery.

All because they had no faith in his supreme ideal. His brilliance. Could they not see he was right? Did it mean nothing, that those fools could benefit from his work? Funding would leave, and so would his credibility and any respect Simon Jones had earned.

And then, it happened. As he sat one day, regarding the results of his latest test, aligning the machinery for another run, the pieces finally fit. He stared in mesmeric glee at the page of information before him, the figures, unseen, shifting about on the page when his eyes strayed.

_Yes, little fool. I see potential in you..._

Blind and deaf to the forces that pushed, pulled and prodded the brilliant Doctor to his work, Simon regardless entered the data, failing to realized those same calculations were far beyond his scope to produce, or understand. They worked! That was all that mattered. He had to have succeeded, who else could have done such work? Was he not the most brilliant dimensional theorist on Earth?

_Of course... you will serve. And serve well, now. _

Numbers flitted across the screen. Simon's mind whirred in expectation. This would be it! He would be redeemed!

_Reborn, as a tool in my hand._

The massive machinery, using the equivalent energy of an entire city yet condensed down to such a small scale as to be mostly contained in one room, hummed to life. Massive jolts of power arced between a the panels of a window, his only success so far, a method to supposedly peer between those infernal fabrics, separating him from glory. The math and theory were sound, and if he succeeded, if this attempt went as planned, that window would be filled with the evidence, captured on film, resplendent to exonerate his abilities to the world!

_That's right..._

Final preparations were made, and Simon Jones peered through the glass one last time, his reflection staring back. A pallid man, tall and gaunt. He was nothing noteworthy, but he saw differently. Perception was key. Simon saw brilliance. Majesty of the mind, his only respect. The only thing he ever valued. His pallor, gaunt form were testament to his focus.

_You are mine..._

A trickle of blood leaked from his nose, as in a mad rush Jones forwent the usual security, of going into the observation room, preferring to be as close to the event of his rising star as possible.

And for that reason, when the panel of glass shattered and sprayed outward in an explosion of fire and the stink of sulfur, Simon was precisely in the right place to have his head lanced through again and again by the superheated glass. Stumbling, his vision fading as the wounds took their toll and his body reacted to the shock, he looked to his precious experiment and saw something horrible.

He saw failure. Himself, blasted into ignominy, forgotten if he was_lucky_. Some remnant of his mind was present enough to find denial in this, his vanity, his nature rejecting the possibility it was his mistake that could have doomed him. Doomed him and everyone in this facility, as the machinery would now speed along into critical overload, and destroy itself and the surrounding landscape.

_Ah, and here we are. Tell me, do you like what I've done with the place?_ A mirror, a shard of glass floated up before Simon's fading vision and he saw the ruin that was his body, laying against the wall. Feebly, he tried to turn his gaze away, but the damned image moved with him. Realizing with the last of his strength the mistake and gravity of it, Simon railed, his mind working quickly to encompassing blackness.

"I can't die like this!" He railed, silently but in his fractured, bleeding mind the words rang clear.

_Can't? Oh you will. Or... you will serve. Tell me, O Doctor. Would you live and serve, or die here, a worthless, insignificant rag of broken flesh?_

The choice was simple. Trigon knew it would be so. Convincing one to forfeit everything that was important, vital to the basis of one's soul was a simple thing really. You simply gave them no other options.

_Go forth. Find her, and deliver my message. Fail not. Or again, you will feel the sting of your vanity. Go and serve, Psimon. _

The birth cry of a damned man, given new life and power was a terrible thing, and it reduced the research facility outside of Las Vegas to so much particulate dust. Such was the force of Psimon's reawakening, to his abilities. Finally, he had something to be vain of. Flexing his will, the altered man of science lifted from the ground, his mind now rife with the awareness of his new abilities. Psychokinesis fueled his flight into the night, as he sped to the west.

His master loosed him, a hound of his Apocalypse, upon the scent. He would not fail.

_All will serve, in the end._

_I Jump City, Jinx's Apartment I_

A quiet knock woke Jinx, as he peered at the door and then the clock by her bedside. 3:18 am blinked back at her. Discarding the noise as her imagination, the thief grumbled and curled back into her blankets, smiling as the scent of lavender became distinct, from her movements. Cuddling up to the pillow, she was drowsing again when the knock at her door sounded again. Faint, but real.

"Jennifer... can I come in?" Blinking away sleep, Jinx stood and went to the door, opening it a fraction to peer out into the hall. Standing in the gloom, her luminous gold eyes blinking back eerily at the feline, Fee waited for her to answer.

"Mmm, what's wrong Fee?" Jinx murmured, leaning on the door and forgetting her state of dress, or rather undress. Fee's eyes didn't betray her thoughts, though her mind shifted it's focus quickly.

Fear, worry, anxiety. This would mark the second night now, and each time, the same nightmares. Same visions, and same maddening words. It was enough to keep her awake, not that she needed much sleep. But the problem was, as she was unable to properly feed, with the way things were currently... her resistance to such emotional and mundane things weakened. But here, here was something... warm. Vitally and critically alive. Fee kept her hunger deep inside, willing her eyes to remain their luminous gold. "I cannot sleep, keep having nightmares. Would it be ok if I slept in here?"

Squinting, Jinx thought she saw red creeping around Fee's eyes but wrote it off as a trick of the dark and her own blurry vision. "Honey, you can't sleep out there? I know you'd be happier in here but... well you know." Shifting her feet the feline wanted desperately to go back to bed. She had a day full of nothing but meetings today, and it had really worn on her nerves and endurance. She'd briefly gotten to speak with Raven on the phone, but both their days had made it impossible to see one another. Tomorrow would be no different... more meetings. More resistance to her plans, and this time the stakes were higher. Crime bosses both local and distant had to be dealt with, and word was spreading, all be it slowly still, that she was the new Boss, but the one place she dreaded dealing with most had seemingly come up first. "Matchstick" Malone from Gotham was in town, and without her edge, her wits about her this could get bad, very, very quickly.

Nodding, Fee looked away, her hands tucked behind her as she slumped in place slightly. "I know. I just... nevermind. I am sorry for waking you, Jennifer," pausing she turned slightly, her profile in the sliver of moonlight in the hall betraying her slight hitch in breath. Something liquid and black smiled behind her eyes.

Jinx scrunched up her eyes and sighed, opening the door wider. "Just for tonight. You can sleep on one side. I'll sleep on the other. Keep your PJ's on. Got it?" mumbling still as she stumbled back to the bed, the exhausted thief flopped onto the huge mattress like a fish and squirmed until her body managed to get under the covers. Fee moved silently, gliding to the other side of the bed and slipping into it with a smile, waiting for Jinx to settle and get comfortable before moving herself. She could feel the girl settle back into sleep, hear her breathing even out and deepen.

Silently, Fee moved and pressed herself against the sleeping girl beside her. Whispering, purring quietly, her hands snaked around the sleeping feline.

Smiling in her sleep, Jinx turned and slipped her arms around the warmth beside her. Memories colored those dreams violet, and secure in them, Jinx was unaware that dreams of Raven and reality were much, much different.

Tonight, Fee was free of her nightmares, as she preyed on one she felt so much for. Impossible for one like her. Like a child, she wanted, and would use what means she had to grasp that desire. Irony fuels this universe, and in the face of desire, lust, it seemed Fee was weak as a kitten. New to those feelings, emotions burning inside her like tears against her demon's skin, the succubus curled herself around her slumbering love, drawing out the girl's dream and drinking it in like a drug. Shifting in the night, Fee smiled, her eyes slipping into crimson as she bent, her lips intent on drinking more than dreams this night.

Distantly, a Titan dreamed, and shook in her sleep. Nightmares, worries and anxieties of her own preyed on her sleeping mind. Fears as well, as her mind was guided by a dark hand, and she dreamed of something she wanted to never see, to know to be truth. There were far worse things than a simple death; betrayal, fear, and hopelessness washed over her sleeping mind, witness again and again to her newly found love, the one who bore her heart, smiling her Cheshire's smile with Fee's arms wrapped around her.

Waking with a start, Raven shook off the nightmare, the images of Jinx... she needed a glass of water. She'd visit her in the morning, and maybe they could come back to the Tower and speak with the Titans about her plans.

-End.

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A/N: Busy enough for you? Oh yes... did I mention this wouldn't JUST be a slash? No? Well, now I am. Ongoing... as in it'll span many, many events. 

No hints this time. Wait and see is the rule from me.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: All DC characters are owned by their owners, none of which happen to be at this moment. Brant and Fee are mine. Some other people too. Not that you'd need them anyway.**

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_Warning: There is harsh language, suggestive themes, violence... yeah. Oh and a female-centric romance theme. If you didn't notice from the last chapter, things are getting more story-centered. This is a where the story is going.  
_

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_Many in body, but singular in mind.  
- Modern Buddhist ideal.  
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_**  
Act Four: Razors and the Dying Roses**_

**Chapter Eighteen**

"Out."

Fee looked down, her features hidden by the fall of her hair, but the posture was obvious; shoulders tensed, hands clenched at her sides and a rigid cast to her back. "But, Jennifer, you said it was alright-"

Jinx scrubbed a hand through her hair, growling before she tossed her head back, regarding the demoness before her through a single weary eye. "I said you could sleep on that side. Not wrapped around me, Fee," leveling a baleful glare at the still stubborn girl, Jinx's mouth thinned to a line. "And sure as hell, I did not say you could... do what you were about to."

Defiantly, Fee glanced up and regarded her mistress. '_Do not my own feelings deserve to be expressed,'_ she railed silently. Her eyes betrayed little of her internal struggle, the only evidence there was something unusual present to the pink haired teen sitting across from her was the distinct crimson cast her eyes had kept since she'd been found in a rather compromising position. "Explain to me, Jennifer. Did you not request that I stay with you, in your home?" She would understand this, her mistake if there was one, and if not, convince this stubborn girl of her feelings. Convince her to share them.

"I did," the weary girl admitted, tilting her head to regard her recent friend. Something about her demeanor was different, harsh. She seemed less lustful, as Jinx would have assumed her to have been, after what she'd nearly caught Fee doing, as she seemed determined and nearly angry. Frustration was a telling thing to have weigh on your mind for long periods, she knew, but this was just odd. "But, Fee, you know how I feel about Raven. You know that I don't think of you that way."

"Am I not attractive, then? You found me so, when you woke next to me that day..." the succubus trailed off, moving slightly closer to the teen sitting with her knees drawn up below her chin so close by.

Snapping out of her introspection, Jinx pointed back toward the end of the bed imperiously. "Don't push it, blondie. You're on thin ice right now," she snapped, her usually calm and joking manner worn dangerously thin from the stresses of the last day and the impending weight of those to come. The last thing Jinx felt she needed was a demoness with an intimacy complex arguing about sleeping arrangements in her own bed. "And yes, you are attractive, Fee. You also know that's not the point."

Glaring at the floor, Fee moved back to the place Jinx indicated, her legs tucked under her as she settled. Thoughts careened around her head, spurred by the odd impulses and nearly painful drives that were tearing at her. For all her life, Fee had been an indentured servant to Midnite, functioning as his intermediary with the infernal, his assistant at his place of work. She'd been born of the critical mass of emotion and drive that fueled her kind's genesis, the weight of chaotic impulse and desire that so many relied on, when love wasn't an option. '_Perhaps that is my problem,'_ Fee reasoned, her eyes narrowing in thought. '_Perhaps it is simply that I'm a demon, a thing infernal. But what of Raven? What makes her so preferable to me?'_ Outwardly, her anxieties were given voice, hurt and querying. "Then what do I lack that you require? Is it my nature? Does that bother you so?"

"Fee, listen," Jinx began, then paused, giving the succubus's words serious thought. "I found, and still find you attractive. I enjoy your company, and being able to talk to you; please understand I have very few good friends, and it's something important to me that you're here." Sighing, the youth leaned back against her bed, her hand rubbing an eye in weary frustration. She wondered where this sudden change in Fee had come from, when all seemed so normal earlier. '_Oh yes, normal,'_ she scoffed mentally. '_Normal's definitely been the word of the day, recently.'_

"I just don't want to sleep with you, or pursue some romantic relationship. It's nothing to do with you, and everything to do with me and how I am," Jinx said, her gaze going a bit distant as she was again looking up at her ceiling, trying to explain something obtuse and difficult to another friend. "I love Raven, at least I really believe I do. Maybe it's too early to say so, but I think I can, if I don't already."

"But you don't love me."

Wincing, Jinx banged her head into the ornate wood support behind her, rolling her eyes as the dull ache settled in her skull. "I like you as a friend. A very good, very important one. You've been with me through some odd moments, and I do feel connected to you, but it's not the same. I'm sorry I can't explain it better, but I just don't-"

Fee cut her off, her voice strained and tense, so unusual for her, "Does she love you? Truly? Does she warrant your attentions so? What if I loved you? Admitted it wholly, without pause or doubt? Would it matter?" Her eyes challenged, and she locked them onto her mistress's shocked coral gaze. The girl looked thunderstruck, mouth working slowly, silently for many moments as she processed this admittance.

Finally coming to a conclusion, she shook her head, sighing. "Fee, you don't mean that. You barely know me. It's not possi-"

"I know how I feel, Jennifer. Do not presume to tell me my own mind, when I know it well."

"Fine, fine! So you feel that you love me, and it's frustrating you that I don't return it," stating it seemed to settle Jinx, help her gain perspective in the pretty demon's mind, calming her somewhat. "Fee, have you never been in love before? Never had your feelings... go unreturned or misunderstood?"

Looking away again, face cloudy with her thoughts, Fee slowly shook it, a negative. "I've... never felt before. Demons have no soul, we are just the stuff of them. We're more like... concentrated idea. There's little room for things outside of one's nature."

"But... wait. You're a succubus. Don't you well... er." Blinking, Jinx realized she had no idea outside of some pop culture and fictional references for what a demon like Fee was supposed to do, and the implications of what she'd said also impacted her. '_Unable to feel? Never guessed it was like that, from what the Morningstar and I spoke about.'_ It seemed demons had emotions all the time, but maybe the only ones they tend to have are related to them...

Reaching up and twisting a strand of her hair, Fee sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Desire, lust are the drives that define me. Dreams, the deepest imaginings of those feelings are the stuff I feed on. But as for causing it? Being able to feel them myself?

"Demons are like a void, Jennifer. We are empty. There is nothing inside us, where you feel, where you dream. But it does not keep us from understanding that lack." Closing her own eyes, Fee slipped to the side till she was laying, curled there like a cat, head resting on her hands. "We feed and feed, but it never fills up. Now I feel, and it is... painful. I do not understand it. It pains me more than emptiness, yet I would not undo this oddity inside me."

The sun was catching up to them, and Jinx stifled a snarl at the rosy light sneaking around her blinds. Memories of the day's agenda sparked inside her, causing cold fingers to clench at her heart, sending the thing beating and fluttering for freedom. Today, the possibly worst meeting yet was due, the one with Matchstick Malone the mob heavyweight from Gotham. Anything about that town made her nervous, it's reputation far and wide a warning about the people that made it a home. Anyone who was successful in Gotham, was doubly worthy of wariness, as they personified a spirit or skill at survival and ruthless determination that was simply daunting.

And this man carved a bloody niche for himself from the underbelly of the beast itself.

Rubbing at her temples to keep from either laughing hysterically to relieve tension or screaming till she was winded, Jinx bent her thoughts back to the present issue; Fee. "Well, as little as I know about demons, one thing I do know is you're all weak to waffles. So, you – outta my bed, and go put on some clothes." Standing, and subsequently nearly falling, Jinx gestured vaguely for the door, as she picked up odd mismatching bits of clothing from the floor and nearby furniture. "I'm going to shower. No, you may not join me. Or peek. Or sit outside the door and listen to me sing off key. Go be good, and sit in the living room," she rambled, voice barely inflecting with her weariness. "Go watch some cartoons or something, and after I hopefully don't fall asleep and knock myself out in the shower, I'll make some waffles and we can talk some more."

Nodding, the demoness quietly rose and moved to the door, pausing once she was there with her hand on the knob. "Jennifer, I really do care. Perhaps I was wrong in showing it, but it is the truth."

"I know, Fee. But truth isn't always something that makes it all better. Sometimes it just hurts more," Jinx replied, feeling all the more weary for this damning response. She felt the sting of those words herself, thinking back on her situation with Raven, her future, and how this huge, convoluted play was going to end. "I'll be out in a minute, and Fee?"

"Yes, Jennifer?"

"You're a good person. I like you, so please don't make me do something severe, alright? I'd rather you be my friend and be near, than someone that falls out of my life."

Nodding, but still wearing a disappointed face, Fee turned and left the exhausted feline to her grooming.

Fee sat to watch a cup of tea steep, continuing to mull over the morning's conversation. It was difficult, daunting and distracting, she reasoned, being faced with all the improbable things that welled up in her so recently. Demons, by nature, could not love. Only those possessing a true soul, or who had been enmeshed in the going's on of humans for many, many years could claim such a thing – and even then it was taken with a heavy dose of cynicism. How could beings born of vice feel something selfless?

Selfless. The demoness paused, her spoon going still in the water she stirred. "Is what I feel selfless?" she asked the room, unsure if an answer was really wanted. The sounds of the shower were faint in the background, barely audible over the distant but persistent clamor of the city that spread out below them. It was a quiet droning that she'd grown used to, in her vigil for Jinx's return. It was into this quiet that Raven stepped, unfolding from a shadow in the corner too far from a window to dispel.

Demon and half-demon stared at one another for long moments before Fee nodded, ever so slightly, murmuring a faint "good morning" to the stoic Titan. Raven returned the nod, but kept her silence, keeping her curiosity and apprehension about the pretty demon far distant in her mind, lest she be tempted to probe too deeply into her thoughts. She could tell without much attention that Fee was an emotional wreck this morning, and the inner turmoil chattered at the peripheral of Raven's senses like an expectant crowd. Such noise practically begged for her scrutiny, but her control won out as it so often did, and so Raven sat, quietly, much to Fee's aggravation.

In truth, Raven was bursting with curiosity. 'What is she doing here so early? Why is she still in bed clothes, if she's wandering around? Where the hell is Jinx?' The corner of Raven's eye twitched and outside, a flower box one floor down disassembled itself, much to one unlucky passerby's annoyance.

"Hey, Fee – Do you see my blue... uh. Hey." Towel around her hair, Jinx's coral eyes peered around the door jamb into the kitchen, meeting those of a rather irate Titan.

Fee glanced between the two and sighed, standing and moving off to the living room. "You guys sort this out, I'm going to watch some television."

The two girls looked between one another for a moment before diverting their gazes. Jinx walked up and sat beside the Titan, scooting away the recently used teacup, leaning on the table as the towel soaked up the water in her hair. "Sorry... didn't know you were here."

"It's... alright. I just. Well you know. Shadow thing."

"Yeah."

Sighing, Raven slumped a bit and looked at the thief sharing a table with her. Sharing her table with the Titan. "I'm sorry. Being so tense around her, just hard not to be."

Jinx made a derisive noise, somewhere between a snort and a sigh, "Trust me, I know. I think... the sooner we get her into Brant's care, the better." Scrubbing at her hair furiously, the thief glared in the general direction of the parlor where Fee would be watching the morning news, cartoons or some other inane program. "I mean, I can appreciate her position on this, but it's not something I can deal with right now."

Blinking, Raven paused and looked at Jinx, calming her own flurry of thoughts and concerns for a moment to feel out the young woman. "What happened, you're not really-"

"Myself?" A rueful laugh escaped the pink haired thief as she settled back in her chair, the towel she lazed in pulled up to her collar as she relaxed. "No I suppose I'm not. The last few day's meetings haven't been going so well. Today, I have Malone to deal with, and it's going to be brutal. He's not someone you want to run into at night."

"So I've heard. We got a notice about him being in town as well," Raven added, suddenly very anxious about this meeting. If the Justice League had warned the Tower about this man, then for Jinx to face him on her own was worrisome. "What kind of things happen at these meetings?"

"Mostly territorial situations. Drug or contraband trade routes and such. For the most part, people are pissed at me for being so hard-assed about wanting none of the serious black-hat things going on here anymore," Jinx sighed, resting a hand over her eyes. The pose may have struck Raven as melodramatic if she weren't feeling so much negativity rolling off the girl. "I mean, I know I can't stop all the small-timers from doing their thing. Hell, most of this town doesn't even know that my dad has moved on.

"But it's getting harder," She trailed off, her tone relaying the sense of defeat she kept feeling at each of these progressively uphill battles.

At a loss, Raven simply reached over and took Jinx's hand, where it rested upon the table. "Look, I don't know much, but if there's some way I can help..."

Smiling, Jinx shook her head. "No, don't want to get you tied up in this mess. How would that look? Your girlfriend getting your reputation all dirty by having you help with her mob issues," laughing quietly, she shook her head, more of her pink hair slipping free of the towel that trapped it. "I'd be a horrible girlfriend if I did something like that."

Raven looked away, thankful at least one of them was thinking clearly, even it if was unusual for it not to be herself. "I know. But still. I worry."

"And I appreciate it," Jinx took the towel down, shaking her hair free and loose, a pensive look on her face. "Tell you what. Today... come with me. You can see what it is I do."

"Sort of like a show and tell project?" Smirking, Raven reached out and collected the morning's dishes, taking them to the washer as Jinx rolled her eyes and stood.

"Yeah, just like one of those," waving at the bedroom, she slipped out of the kitchen, beckoning Raven to follow. "Need to get dressed, you can distract me in here, not that it'll do you much good."

Raising a brow, the empath regarded the thief with a smile, "Oh, you mean you'd put up a fight if I decided to delay you?"

"You'd not convince me, not today."

"Oh. Well then, I won't tell you about all th-mmmph!" Palming the door shut behind the startled Titan, Jinx pushed the smaller girl back against the wall and stilled her smirking comeback with a kiss. Reaching up, the feline pulled at Raven's violet hair until the Titan had no choice but to break loose from her lips and gasp, chin tilted up severely. "Thought... no convincing."

Smiling against the pale neck of the empath she held against the wall, Jinx purred,"You're lousy at it. Decided to save you some time."

Slipping her hand to the door knob, Raven heard a soft click and smiled. "How thoughtful of you."

Painting on her Cheshire smile, the thief slipped down, trailing a kiss along the empath's shoulder and collar as she did. "You know me, Ravy. The soul of generosity I am, I simply adore giving."

Raven could only agree.

_I Later I_

"Are you sure you'll be ok with this "Matchstick" fellow?" Raven asked, helping Jinx to pick through her closet for an outfit fitting of her position and the occasion. "Are we going for "Queen bitch of the city", or more of a "Don't fuck with me, I have Ovaries" look here?"

"..." Jinx stared for a moment at the empath before breaking out in laughter, leaning on her dresser to keep from falling over from the surprise. "Can't believe you just said that," she panted between bouts of giggles.

Picking out a khaki mid length skirt and matching blazer, Raven added on a black sleeveless turtleneck undershirt and a pair of simple loafers. "Businessy but not too severe?" she asked, turning with a smile to regard the still laughing thief.

"I'll practically look military in that." Cocking her head, Jinx shrugged, "Sure, lets do that one. And when did you get a sense of humor?"

"Probably when I lost my virginity."

Jinx bit her lip to keep form cackling again, and decided getting dressed would be a good idea. "And um. I know it was weird, earlier. Me being upset at Fee like that."

Raven leaned on the wall near the closet, looking down thoughtfully as the thief slipped into the outfit she'd picked out. Her curiosity had been piqued by the odd way the two interacted, or rather failed to, earlier as well as Jinx's animosity to the demoness after. It just wasn't in her nature to question those things so directly, which only compounded her curiosity. "It was a bit odd. What happened?"

Slipping her bra in place, Jinx sighed and snapped it closed with perhaps too much force, "Just a misunderstanding and an ongoing issue. Remember what we talked about at lunch the other day?"

"... yeah. That come up this morning I take it?"

Jinx nodded with a slight smile, "Yeah, but it'll work out in time. She just has to understand how my feelings work." Looking up and at Raven, the thief stared until the Titan was forced to meet her eyes, a blush rising at the intensity of Jinx's gaze. "I'm with you, Raven. I wouldn't have gone to the ends I have if it was something that didn't speak so deeply to me."

Blushing still, the Titan looked away not trusting her mouth at the moment to speak for her. Instead she slowly closed the distance to Jinx, and pulled her lithe form into a hug. She held onto Jinx, hands bunching up the fresh clothes and her face buried in her shoulder for long moments. For her part, the Thief would have let Raven stay there, seeking comfort and taking comfort in her, but time wasn't on her side. "Sunshine, lets finish getting ready. I need to be at my best for this," she quietly reminded the Titan, smiling as she pulled away with her usual mask of calm about her. Jinx was relieved that Raven wasn't letting herself go overboard with the knowledge her emotional controls need not be so strong around her. At least for the time being, she needed Raven's stability, while she offered her own.

Raven nodded and straitened the jacket, where she'd bunched it up in clinging to the thief. She knew that Jinx would forgive her, but she'd not forgive herself if this close to such an important meeting she lost her control. Jinx needed her. She'd come to ask about what Jinx could tell her about the plan, what she'd learned from Lucifer that could aid in Trigon's defeat, and hopefully find ways to combine that with her own team's efforts. Raven didn't hold much hope it would be effective, but she trusted the Thief, a concept that made her smile.

The pair collected themselves and made their way to the parlor, to meet Fee looking distantly out over the city. Jinx was about to ask the demoness what was on her mind when her cell rang, literally catching her with her mouth open. "Hello? Thanks Brant, I'm almost ready," she told the man, as she motioned for the now attentive Fee and Raven to the door. "Bring the car around, it'll be me and Raven, with Fee. Yes, all three," Shooting the other girls a grin, Jinx slipped on her shoes and hobbled out of the room, still adjusting a strap on one.

Looking over to Fee, Raven sighed and shrugged, motioning for the demoness to go on ahead. Smiling slightly, the blonde demon went to catch up while Raven locked the doors behind the rushing feline. When she found the two at the elevator, the scene would have been comical, had the implications of the day not been so heavy on her mind.

Jinx was propped against one door, her foot up on the other to keep the doors open and the elevator in place, while talking distractedly to Brant. Fee was dodging here and there, trying to find some way into the machine that didn't involve going under Jinx's outstretched leg. This was complicated by the Thief kicking the door savagely on occasion to emphasize a point she was making on the cell to her bodyguard. Raven laughed quietly at the scene and took Fee by the shoulder with one hand, while shoving Jinx into the elevator with the other.

Glaring at the Titan, Jinx stuck out her tongue and hit button for the garage floor as the other occupants grinned at her previous windmilling to keep from falling from Raven's less than subtle notice of arrival. Sharing a companionable grin, the demon and the Titan leaned on to opposite wall from Jinx, as she paced about in the small space, making indefinite noises into her cell. "Right. Yeah, we'll be there early. He's already there? Damnit. Alright, have Joe liquor him up. I want this as greased as possible. See you in a bit. Oh, and get that plan ready, from the diner," snapping the cell shut, she sighed and leaned on the wall, blinking to see two pairs of amused stares tracking her. "What?"

"Just observing the working girl," Raven quipped, earning her a glare and a giggle from Jinx and Fee, respectively. "Seriously though, you do seem to have a good hold on things. Why is it going so rough, getting all the smaller bosses to acknowledge you?"

Fee looked up and answered, before Jinx could finish her drawn out sigh, "Mostly age. The other bosses respect the work and experience of a crime boss. It's not like a monarchy; you can't really inherit mob position. It's earned. Usually by bloodshed."

"Fee's right. The only saving grace I have, is my time in the Hive. I'm a public and well known terrorist, more or less," Shaking her head slowly, she leaned back and straitened her jacket. "Sadly, that really doesn't do much for my credibility to them. Bosses need to be managers, not thugs."

Considering this, Raven voiced what she hoped wasn't a silly question, "Well, what is it about "Matchstick" that worries you, if he's not even local?"

Eying the floor indicator, Jinx thought the question over a moment before answering, her expression darkening with her tone, "For one, he's much bigger fish than you may think. He was and still is a heavy, heavy influence in the underworld.

"Second, he's a figurehead in Gotham, which is like the major leagues for mobs. Only the hardest and worst operate there, and he does so well."

"So he's a beast among beasts, is what you're saying," Raven added, her voice low and worried.

Looking up and sighing, Fee answered for the Thief, "That, and there's other issues. Intercity trade routes, trafficking allowances, and a thousand other things. If this meeting goes badly, the mob here could have their incomes badly weakened." Not that she needed to emphasize the point, Fee made a cutting motion across her neck for effect. "If they're not at least doing as well as before Jinx, it'll be a lynch mob if a Gotham heavyweight starts refusing to deal with the Bay-Jump area."

"Thanks Fee," Jinx muttered, rolling her eyes. "I needed to be reminded that I'm sitting on a powder keg."

"She asked," the demoness groused, fidgeting with her shoes and pointing at Raven.

Raven thought about what she'd heard, and knew already as the three left the elevator, the black sedan and Brant nearly parked by the doors offering little space before they were off again. "So, it's really a lot like a business then. The mob. I always thought it was sarcasm or humor, all the comparisons."

"Oh it's very much business," Jinx offered, while getting settled in the car. "If things go south here though, people don't strike, or picket or quit. They start shooting."

"What the mob needs are unions," Fee offered, digging into the small bar refrigerator the sedan had for it's occupants. The glare she received from the other two passengers stalled her as she poured herself a gin and tonic. "What?"

"I do not need to deal with union heads, mob bosses are bad enough."

Raven grinned, shaking her head, "Just what mobsters need; labor lawyers."

"No more blasphemy!" Jinx squawked, bristling. "I'm having enough troubles as-is!"

"Wait a moment, maybe... maybe Fee has a point," Raven mumbled, looking at the city cruising by at speed from her window. "People want money, sure. But what is it that gives them a sense of loyalty? Of wanting to work for who they work for?"

"Respect, um. Power? Station. Security," Jinx shrugged, and thought about the various reasons people were in her line of work. "A place to belong. I mean, money mostly. People who are in the mob, are in it because they can't or won't work in anything else, or because the money's too good. It's not because of the perks usually."

"So what do they gain, by being your mob?" Raven asked, sipping at some water she acquired from Fee.

Considering this, Jinx leaned back in the sedan's plush seats and thought. "Not sure. What can I offer them, in the way of incentive? Hell if I -" pausing, she grinned and shook her head a moment. "Actually. I may indeed know."

Fee leaned forward, intrigued by the ideas being given and taken in the last few minutes. "What is it, Jennifer?"

"Well, the one thing that the Hive taught me, above all else is that there's a double standard to anything you do in the underground. You learn to be individual groups, cells, but are ultimately subject to an outside leader. Or that's at least how it worked there. You learn about your enemies, but only information that's common; information decided that you need. Jobs are always available, but they're handed out in order of favoritism." Jinx considered the train her thinking had taken, and smiled, a wicked and content smile. "I think I know what I can 'offer' them that hasn't been offered before, and that may keep everything going smooth," the Thief added, sipping at her rum and coke.

"What's that?" Raven asked, wondering if she really wanted to know the answer.

"Me." Jinx stated simply, without looking back to the other passengers. She continued, oblivious to their querying looks, "My father simply organized a structure and a system of rules, that were held because people in this business aren't easy to lead. He delegated a lot of power around, but because he earned the respect of those other heads, it wasn't abused.

"I can take that structure, and give it, reform it into something similar but better than what I had in the Hive. Centralize data, but distribute the results. Cell structures. Jobs and heists... sorry Raven, but well, it's what I do... all coordinated to benefit the entire structure in some way," her voice trailed off, and she grinned, sun streaming along her features through the window.

"How can you turn the mob into a socialist structure?" Raven asked, somewhat confused about Jinx's idea, while Fee simply nodded, looking thoughtful.

"While the underground has a pretty solid precedent for survival and force being the ways to garner respect, there's also cunning. Now, the old Hive networks monitored a lot of the activity in the city, by plotting and working off expected and probable hits with a complex prediction software," grinning, Jinx sighed and closed her eyes. "We used those things to keep out of the main body of the mob's way; making bad contacts never helps anyone."

Raven didn't like how this was going. Not only was Jinx actually making sense, it could end up being the worst possible thing for her side of the coin, being a superhero. "But, hold on. How can you get those systems in place, when no one is really letting you lead? Isn't it hard to force those things on people – well impossible in this case?"

Nodding, Jinx looked away from the Titan, her anxiety on this clearly visible. "It is, but that doesn't mean I can't lead by example." Smiling despite herself, she continued, "I form up cells and set up the system with my loyalists, and let that be an example. Use what I know, what I'm good at and make it an asset. Lead like I was still running things at the Hive. Pick up what people I still can from it even-"

"I thought you were trying to reform your friends, Jinx. What about Gizmo?" Raven countered.

Nodding, Jinx regardless didn't lose her fervor, "I know, and no, I wasn't. I wanted him out, but do you really think that any of the ex-Hive could be so easily integrated into society? We're not like common thieves and misdemeanor offenders, Raven." Emphasizing her point, she held out her wrists, where the circular scars of the restraining and power dampening manacles were still visible. "We don't go to jail. We go to a deep, dark place where people don't treat you like a person."

Holding up her hands, the Titan sighed and tried to calm the agitated feline, "I know, I'm sorry. I don't mean to counter you for the sake of it, and I'm not. I'm just-"

"A Titan. A hero. These things make you uncomfortable," Fee stated blandly, not meeting the girl in question's eyes.

Jinx reached out and found Raven's hand, running her thumb across her palm, "And that's fine. But this is something I owe these people, for their lives they put in my care. If someone doesn't stand up and take control, and make sure they have it, it'll be war in the streets with power struggles.

"All I'm doing, is making it so less people get hurt, and nothing gets wasted. People will work efficiently, and well and maybe it'll cut down on the necessity of some the darker corners of this part of the world I have to be in."

Raven shook her head, sighing. "For someone who's basically a pink-haired ball of chaos, you talk a mean management game."

Laughing, Jinx shook her head, "I know how, but I don't have to be a part of it. I'll set it up, but do you really think I can just fit right in there? Cells don't work off a central head.

"Chaos in society is the individual. Breaking the mob down into self sustaining, autonomous cells that are aware, but not dependent or functional on one another for survival, but giving them a common groundwork to base their activities on, is the height of anarchy," the girl said, with a gleam in her eye. "Think about it. The closer I can push things to the singularist ideal, where one fundamental person who can with an action topple the structures with a push isn't in place, the better off the entire system becomes." Laughing, Jinx drained the rest of her drink in a single gulp. "Cells have no one outside them to be liable for, or against. Knowledge of the city is available, as well as planned hits and jobs, but without names or directive. If I want to guide something, all I have to do is place suggestions. Or limit the alternatives. Just because I'm Boss, doesn't mean I have to lead. All I have to do, is make sure my people do well."

Raven blanched but nodded, suddenly feeling very much like the fly in a spider's web. "I guess it makes sense. I just worry that once you set something like this up, it'll work too well."

Fee shook her head and refilled her own glass, "I don't see how. In this system, if people need to they can maintain their outside lives easy enough. A cell will be a highly efficient system, that can sustain all it's members and keep them well grouped and functional. Efficiency will lead to less actual crime."

"But her system would make it nearly impossible to keep up with the criminals! I... police and the Titans won't be able to protect anything if the mafia goes beyond our ability to predict or control," Raven countered, unable to keep her calm in the face of such a contradictory idealism. "And besides, isn't the mafia built on the intimidation and pyramid structure of a cascading alpha hierarchy?"

Jinx mulled this over and nodded, "Yeah, boss under boss, under boss. Heads of locations decided by simply being more brutal or cunning than anyone else."

"Won't those bosses essentially be cut out of the loop, and get hostile about it?"

Jinx grinned ferally and clinked the ice in her cup loudly, as they pulled up to the _Oasis_. "A mob boss is only as intimidating as the company they can bring to a fight." Nodding to Fee, the Thief and demoness surprised the Titan by arming themselves with a handgun apiece, pulled from a case beneath the bench the Titan sat on. "If the cell structure destroys the power structure under the more stubborn bosses..."

Grunting, Raven had to concede that it made sense. Even if it was the worst possible news for the Titan's and their relatively easy life. "If the bosses have no muscle, then the power flows back to the cells. With no one leeching off their work, cells won't want bosses. With you setting up and working the data systems, and I assume your own background cell, independent but supporting the others, they'd be working for you and not even really realizing it was in truth structured just so you can remove all opposition."

Leaning forward, the Thief kissed Raven deeply and grinned, as she leaned back. "See, told you I loved you for that brain."

"I couldn't tell. You make it hurt so much sometimes..."

Tilting her head, the feline regarded Raven with an odd glance. "I'd offer to kiss it and make it better, but that's just. Well, ew."

"Here I thought you had enough of zombies back at Midnite's," Fee added, making Jinx shudder.

"Oh you just _had _to remind me, didn't you?"

"Braaaaaaaainnsssss," Fee mumbled, shambling toward the Titan and earning her a laugh from both the girls.

Brant strolled from the front of the vehicle, observing the antics of the three with a stoic scowl. "Matchstick is inside, we should probably hurry, Ma'am."

Nodding, Jinx pulled the air of her role down about her like a veil, making Raven blink. She was getting very good at simply being what was needed. The thing that stung the Titan about this, is that each time she saw it, it reminded her of her own tendencies. Control and contain.

She wouldn't wish that on anyone. To see Jinx do so, simply because of her so-called station and responsibilities, rankled the Titan. Listening to her talk of the restructuring idea, though, Raven saw some hope. If Jinx could manage her ideal, then she'd be freed of much of this stress.

Bittersweet, Raven found this realization. She ducked into the car, and taking one of the small single-serving tequila bottles in hand, the Titan followed the others inside.

_I Titan Tower I_

The black material was made of the same microfiber and nanocarbon filament reinforcement as the cape and suit he currently wore. Woven of Nomex, Kevlar and a form of nanofilament contained liquid shock dispersal system, the suit itself was nearly more resilient than anything of military manufacture. It also incorporated a safety function, with a single debilitating electric charge, in the event of tampering. Resistant to impact, even small arms fire, the material was fitted and sleek, armored without being bulky. The utility belt was discarded, in favor of gauntlet and boot-housed compartments. A membranous memory fabric that could be snapped to the arms from the sides of the torso would offer a gliding situation, if needed.

Compartments in the boots and gloves housed anything he could need. Modern technology, as well as the legacy of his benefactor insured that the latest and most advanced needs were met. But the primary feature were the Escrima sticks, loaded for quick use. He could join or break the two apart, into his semi-signature Bo staff, or for independent hand to hand work.

There was no cape. There was no "R". Only the black of the sleek material, and the blue highlights that ran from arms to across the chest. Across the face, where one was a nondescript mask with little detail, now rested an elaborate winged design, similar in that it affixed across the eyes and augmented his vision, but as distinctive in it's harsh lines as his previous was simple.

Richard Grayson surveyed his handiwork with a very slight smile. The costume he currently wore, the garish but comfortable, reliable colors of Robin were soon to be passed on to another.

He was perfectly fine with that.

So many changes were coming. Heroes from across the globe, across the solar system and beyond, would soon be looking up to him, as a leader.

Leaders aren't found in the shadow of another.

They stand forward. Stand tall. Stand on their own. Richard looked at himself, and smiled, a real smile as the light from the small desk lamp picked him easily from the darkness.

Stand out, perhaps he would not do so easily.

"Tonight, everything changes," he said to the room. Darkness and silence answered.

He expected his mentor to sound very similar.

Putting the newly made armor away, the man who was still Robin left his personal sanctuary and entered the common one that housed his team. It was morning, and with things quiet in the city, for the moment, that means practice. He checked the roster and smiled, finding all the rooms taken or signed up for, for the day.

Beside his name, Cyborg had signed his own, "Victor". Team combat before breakfast. The best way to start a day, Richard reasoned. He expected the others to have eaten, had their morning routines in place already. For Robin, morning routine was practice.

Coffee was replaced by pushups. By exercise. He woke his body up to the day by punishing it, pushing it to keep himself aware that he was, by default the only truly human member of his team. That he led them, was a testament to his abilities.

Abilities that didn't come easy.

Cyborg was early that morning, having finished his breakfast quickly and moving on to his own morning routine. Target practice for his cannon, cogitative speed checks for his targeting systems, stress checks and balancing for his output and motor systems. The metal Teen grinned as he watched Robin stretch and prepare for the morning match.

Cyborg didn't need to stretch. His systems were, as long as he maintained them as such, always at peak output. He could go from dead idle to a full sprint in less time that it took most to even react to the reason why he was moving. Realigning his sonic cannon to it's usual hand form, he did some practice swings against the resistance fields in the practice room.

The Tower didn't have weight bags and punching dummies. One solid punch from the Tamaranian Princess and half the wall would need rebuilding. To give them something to work against, Cyborg had build field systems, series of magnetic and tensor arrays to effect resistance to each person's needs. Most of the time, they worked great.

Occasionally things broke. The last time, it was when Beast Boy overstressed the system by morphing too fast for the computer to compensate for, thereby burning out an emitter. Luckily, the Green youth had good reaction time, and changed his mass to something more manageable as he hurtled into the wall.

The footage of a rampaging Tyrannosaurus changing into a sea cucumber was something he still got a laugh about.

Robin signaled his readiness, and Cyborg keyed the fields down to allow them more room. As they prepared, the other Titans filtered in, taking up positions nearby to watch. Practice wasn't just about testing and working against a thinking opponent – it was also learning each other and observing the team's strengths and weaknesses.

As Cyborg stood and reset his systems for maximum flexibility and processing speed, Robin slipped into his usual training mindset and expanded his senses to the fullest. Many fighters made the mistake of tunnel vision, taking their focus down far too much. To truly work in an environment, and turn it against your foe, you needed to be aware of it. As Cyborg's joints and plating shifted to allow him greater speed and mobility in the face of his spry opponent, Robin stood passive, almost restful.

The illusion was deceptive and deadly. Cyborg lead the match quickly by keeping Robin at bay with a series of sonic cannon bursts, set to wide dispersal. Essentially, a sonic shotgun. Unable to simply dodge and avoid a narrow, targeted attack, the Titan's leader had to go on a defensive sprint running wide to keep himself from getting pinned down. When it seemed like Cyborg was getting Robin to finally slow down and reconsider his options of fleeing or getting his eardrums ruptured, the young Detective surprised the other Titan by running strait into a blast, calling the other's bluff.

Robin smirked, despite his ringing ears. The dispersion he'd noticed, was a good ploy; but that was all. The intensity of the blasts was far too reduced to do more than offer an annoyance factor. He'd been calculating the damage the hits were doing to the rebuildable training room floor and walls as he dodged, gauging the right distance to begin his assault. Too close and the blast would be too risky, too far and Cyborg would have a chance to fire again.

Supposedly running out of room gave him the advantage, in that now he could close the distance and reverse their positions, giving him the advantage of space. The metal Titan wasn't going to give the match to Robin that easily, and as the caped youth closed on him, Cyborg made sure Robin understood he was more than just a jacked up megaphone and waffle disposal.

Robin flinched and rolled hard to his left as the rocket propelled fist slammed into his shoulder, nearly spinning him in place as he tried to get his range correct and finish the match. Already Cyborg was lining up another shot as his arm whirled about overhead, it's guidance systems unable to dock the appendage while...

Targeting.

Robin suppressed a grin and paused, pulling two explosive charged projectiles from his belt. Placing them on the ground in a two-palm slap, the soon to follow blast of Cyborg's cannon barely missed what should have been a sure hit. The explosives propelled him up and over the other Titan, his planted half Bo staff pieces still smoking from the impact each had taken from being used as rocket-powered pogo sticks. Robin flipped and tucked into a roll as he launched another freezing disk at the errant arm that Cyborg had tagged him with just moments before.

The disc struck true, and the rockets sputtered and died as the internal systems reset with the freezing blast to the exhaust. Robin caught the arm just as it's propellant kicked back in, essentially riding the powered fist back...

Right into Cyborg's jaw. Robin let the now deactivated arm settle as he checked to make sure Cyborg was alright, the larger Teen shaking off the heavy blow slowly.

"Man, that was dirty," the half-metal Teen grumbled, reattaching his errant hand with a sour look.

Robin chuckled and resheathed his still broken down Bo. "I noticed it wasn't able to dock, with you retargeting so often, so I used it against you."

Considering this, Cyborg nodded and keyed open a panel in his right arm. "Hm, you're right. I had it on a holding orbit till I could devote more processor to the guidance lock on."

"Think maybe a separate co-processor tied to the naviga-"

"Way ahead of you, Fearless. I knew there was something missing to this system, so I left lots of options available. What I think I'll do, is wire it up to my internal GPS, and use that as a carrier signal. No processor needed; when I recall it, it just homes in to signal-0," still typing and reworking some small wires, the hybrid Titan barely seemed affected by his recent loss. Robin smiled.

This is why the Titans won. They became better with each fight. Even morning pre-breakfast (for some) workouts. He hoped this trend would continue with the new additions to the team, soon to come.

"Cyborg, what do you think about some of the new recruits?" Toweling off his somewhat sweat-damp hair, Robin went about the post workout coo ldown, while the other Titans cleaned up and got the training area ready for their own matches.

The metal Titan eyed the young man beside him for a long moment before smiling, and shaking his head. "You asking me what I think about the idea, all of them, or just a few?"

"Hm." Furrowing his brow, Robin nodded at Cyborg's observation. "I'm worried."

Nodding, Cyborg motioned for him to continue, as he went about the disturbing task of pulling out unneeded wires and systems from his torso to finish the latest upgrade to his arm. He'd replace those system soon. He wanted some practical data on the new system before he went to the workshop.

"I guess," Robin began, leaning on the wall and facing it. "I guess I'm worried about the Super kids."

"Careful there, we're barely holding on to that description too, still."

"You know what I mean, Cy."

Smiling, the hybrid Teen made a vague motion in the air, "Still, it'll just get harder to think of them as teammates of you put tags like that on them. "Kids" isn't exactly a flattering title to have."

Grunting as he stretched his calves, the masked Titan nodded. "You're right. I just can't get over feeling like they're going to fit in badly. Like they'll want to be too much like loose cannons."

"You talking as a leader, or as one of Batman's students?"

Favoring Cyborg with a brief glare, Robin had to admit, there was and will always be some animosity between his 'family' and Superman's own. The fact they all came with such massive and impressive powers, even compared to other superheroes only added to the anxiety he felt. As Cyborg so aptly pointed out, he did have an issue with them, due to Batman's influence.

What they, Superman's surrogate family, did with brute strength and overpower, Batman's did with cunning, training and delicacy. It didn't help that the younger generation of Kryptonians seemed even more tactless than their senior.

"Both," Robin finally admitted, after long deliberation. "I'm talking as both a leader, who happens to be the only non-powered member of the team, and as one of Batman's students."

Cyborg nodded, putting away his tools a moment to regard the floor in thought. "Then as a teammate, I'll say this. No one here really notices that. You have talents no one else does. The JLA wouldn't even have monitoring systems without Batman. There are some things only you guys think of, and manage. Who cares about powers? It's the end of the day that matters.

"Besides, take away my metal, and I'm right with you. I'd rather be, in fact, but hey. We can't help who we are."

"You're right," Robin said, smiling suddenly. "You can't really help who you are."

Eying the Titan, Cyborg narrowed his non-cybernetic eye and glared. "Was that supposed to be a crack at me?"

Laughing, Robin shook his head and settled next to the metal Teen with a grin, "Nah, just thinking. The other people coming, they're just like everyone here. Just happen to be who they are, just happen to have powers or connections or some backstory. Who cares about powers?"

"Damn strait. At then end of the day, we're all-"

"Titans," Robin finished, looking up with a distant expression. "Titans, Together."

"That has a certain ring to it," Cyborg observed, closing the panel to his arm with a small snap.

"Better than "Titans, go!" you think?"

Shrugging, Cyborg stood and flexed his shoulder, checking his arm's fuel and internal systems. "What we say isn't as important as what we do. But you lead. You know what it means to have to guide and inspire." Grinning widely, he shifted his arm into cannon mode. "Me? I just blast stuff good."

"Oh whatever, you overgrown Aibo."

"What'd you call me, you spiky-haired little punk?"

"Ai-bo," the masked Teen taunted, running back out into the floor as Starfire and Terra stepped away, looking winded and leaning on one another with the fatigue of the moment.

Shaking his newly programmed fist at the lithe form dashing out into the floor with his Bo out, Cyborg yelled after Robin, "Alright! Best two out of three it is!"

"Stop yelling and start getting ready to lose," the Titan called back, keying in the sequence to let the room adjust to them. He had to admit, when he needed perspective, he always went to Cyborg to find it. Maybe it was his unique view on being human, and what it was to not be. Stuck in that gray area between man and machine, his was a unique view and place. Robin regretted the incidents that lead to his condition and current state, but would rather have him than not, any day. Cyborg was a huge part of what made the Titans a family, rather than a glorified after school super club.

Where Robin always seemed to approach other powered individuals with a healthy sense of distrust, Cyborg seemed to be more accepting. Robin knew that it was an illusion, that Cyborg treated everyone as equals. It was Robin's own biases that seemed to cause Cyborg's actions to have more impact. He hoped, when the time came, to be as accepting and open minded as a leader.

For he had to be. No one even mentioned, or suggested that there was to be a shift in power at the Tower. As for the remote Titan's locations, only time would tell. But he knew, regardless of who lead those teams, he'd still be in a major position to influence and direct them. Besides, his own personality wouldn't let him be lead, unless that person earned it.

Considering he didn't really consider Batman a leader to him, more of a mentor, whoever stepped up to stand before Richard Grayson as a superior was in for a rude awakening.

Starfire watched her two teammates and smiled slightly, as she worked on focusing her starbolts into more precise weapons. The concentration needed usually left her weary and winded, but if it meant her team performed better, that they worked better, then so be it. She just wished there was some precedent to her abilities, some analogue she could call on for information. Since hers was a series of powers born of the time the Psions held her captive, she had no frame of reference, other than her own, for her ability to channel energy like this.

So simply did her best. Focus and release. Focus and channel. Straining under the resistance her body gave her to this exercise, Starfire tired quickly, but always felt better for the effort. Her earliest memories of these powers were disastrous, so any control, hard won or accidental she managed was welcome.

Already worn from her time sparring with Terra, the Tamaranian Princess took a moment to catch her breath, before the second part of her daily routine.

Sensing the change in her focus, the other Titans took moments from their activities to find discreet points of observation, for when Starfire picked up her planets traditional weapons and went through her paces, it was a sight to behold.

Terra made her way to the place Cyborg and Robin had called a truce for the moment, winded and bruised the both of them by their matches. Two out of three had become three out of five. Beast Boy had a bet with the blonde geomancer that they'd stall at a tie on match four.

She hated losing. So hopefully she could goad them into that last match while watching Starfire swing that ridiculously heavy staff around like a broom.

The alien Princess would likely have taken insult to the ceremonial weapon being referred to as such, at least from any other source. The amount of humor and levity she extended to her teammates and friends was enormous. Running through a fluid series of parries and vicious attack stances and routines, Starfire slowly started into the more complex aspects of her race's premier fighting training. She smiled as for a moment she caught the open stares her team was favoring her with.

Midair and ground hybrid combat. Using the staff as both a fulcrum point for leverage and to perform gravity-bending changes in direction, as well as altering her center of gravity in mid spin at key points, it became obvious why her race was so warlike and successful at it.

They were simply that good.

Anyone who met and talked with the dazzling, bubbly alien would never imagine her to be capable of this other form of beauty, a ruthlessness of form and function aided by an alien weapon that outmassed a common human by twice, and could be easily imagined to be able to rend tank armor. Most only saw her smile, her wide, trusting green eyes and her cheerful personality. What only her friends, her closest allies were allowed to see was the warrior princess beneath, that survived, and overcame, and triumphed over every obstacle set before her, by not only her own people, her own family, but mortal enemies and the power of an invading army.

Sometimes, Robin wondered which of them was better at deception.

As she slowed and wound down from her flurry of midair and swooping strikes, into a more ground-based pattern, Robin pulled out his Bo and carefully advanced, letting Starfire have all the time she needed to warn him away. When she didn't, only smiled in welcome of a live partner, he returned the happy gesture and started mirroring the girl.

This went on for many minutes, the other Titans wondering when and where Robin had picked up the Tamaranian forms. Starfire saw the small errors, simple ones, but glaring to her and grinned to herself. He was observant, but he could only memorize those forms. She _knew_ them. Stopping, she nodded to the side and the two went to spar in earnest, the Tamaranian deciding to show Robin better what those forms he was trying to shadow meant.

While they moved off together, the others went about the simple work of replacing and reassembling the modular portions of the training room. It was inevitable that sections were damaged, so Cyborg had researched and started using a special kind of material, for use on the floor and panels of the room. Essentially they were all carbon fiber, replaceable by vat-grown panels that recycled their mass to form new support systems.

All in all, it made the room perfect for destructive play by super powered teens.

As the team moved off to their respective lockers, the boys split up for the showers while Starfire and Terra sat and chatted, sipping at water as they cooled down from the morning routine.

"Terra, what do you think of Raven's good news?" the Tamaranian asked, surprising the other girl with the sudden question. It wasn't really the nature, that was new, but that Star was asking her. Of all the Titans, it seemed Starfire interacted with Terra the least.

Thinking over the question, she shrugged, and settled the towel around her shoulders. "Not sure really. It was surprising, to say the least, but also makes sense. I guess I'm happy for her, y'know?"

Starfire considered the other Titan's words and nodded slowly. "Friend, would you say you're happy it is Jinx, that Raven is so taken with?"

"That I don't really know about," Terra admitted, sighing. "To be honest, it's kind of... comfortable thinking of it like... well Jinx is from the other side, yeah?" Gesturing at the Bay and city beyond through a window, the blonde Titan sighed, "What if it were just some guy off the street? A little goth boy? It'd all be the same, in the end. We'd hedge and Robin would find a reason to mumble." Smiling at Starfire as she stiffened at this comment, Terra shook her head slowly. "It's how he is. Protective. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that of any of the Titans, Raven was the most on a pedestal. Kept above and out of reach."

Starfire nodded, looking thoughtful but still staying silent. Terra shrugged and continued, "For her to get involved with someone who was not only a felon, but a girl, well it's like saying "Hey, we're all just normal people too" I guess."

"I think I understand what you mean, Terra," Starfire said slowly, here emerald eyes still distantly looking out over the Bay. "But I worry for her. This thing she enters into, where on Tamaran it was a joyous occasion, here it seems people are more stressful. Where there should be celebrations, instead we have meetings." Turning to the girl beside her, Starfire shared a rare pensive moment, shaking her head slowly. "I feel that what we've shown Raven, will only be the beginning for her."

"You mean out there. People in the city, once they catch on."

Nodding, Starfire stifled a sigh and stretched in the morning sun. The light was slowly recharging her spent energies, but she needed to get out and absorb it en masse soon or she'd be slowly slipping into the need to nap. "Yes, I worry our friend will have taken on more than she can deal with, so close to her own ordeal of passage."

Terra looked up and cocked her head, a look of confusion on her face, "Huh? Ordeal of passage? The last I checked, the only things going on are her Father issues, and the new Titans. I mean, the daddy thing is pretty severe, but we can handle..." the blonde Teen trailed off as Starfire turned sad eyes on her. The expression was so unusual for the alien princess that Terra was momentarily put off her train of thought.

"You do not understand, but it's only because we have not told you. So much of Raven's history, who she is happened before your time.

"When she joined us, helped for the Titans, it was because the League felt her too much a risk. The Justice League, Terra. They didn't want to get involved."

"Oh," Terra replied, the implications of that Starfire was saying sinking in. If the League wouldn't help Raven, then...

"And now, we Titans are left to try and clean up, I believe the saying is." Starfire smiled grimly into the morning sun, setting her hair back and shaking the scarlet main to settle it. "Cyborg builds a warding room, combining the runes of Raven's books and his own devices. Robin does research and sets up spells by hiring magicians that aren't affiliated with the League. I prepare for war. Beast Boy..." Sighing, the pretty alien shook her head. "Logan mourns her already."

Terra was taken aback by this, and stuffed her hand into the pockets of her khaki shorts as she pondered what Starfire was saying. "Mourns her? What do you mean?" she asked, hoping to gain a bit more insight from the Tamaranian, something she'd never believe herself doing before today.

Smiling slightly, Starfire motioned for Terra to follow her, as she made the trip to the Tower courtyard. "For a time, before you were with us, Beast Boy held Raven in very high regard."

"Right, he had a crush, that I know."

"Indeed," amused, Starfire continued. "It seems like many males of earth, he mourns the possibilities that he perceived in her."

"Gar doesn't have a crush on her anymore Star. I would know," Terra said bitterly, not liking the direction this was taking at all.

Starfire stopped and turned to the blonde beside her, laying a hand on her shoulder. Terra pulled herself out of her angry introspection to look up to the tall girl before she said something spiteful and bit her lip. "I would Star. I'd know."

"I believe you. What I meant, was that he has a very large heart. His feelings are great for all of us. What he feels is never hidden, or hidden well." Turning to continue down the hall to the entrance, Starfire continued, "But for him, who has known so much loss, it is fitting to feel the need to mourn."

Nodding woodenly, Terra followed, her hands clenched into fists in her pockets. She understood what Starfire was saying – and it made sense! But for her to see so clearly, so well while Terra felt blind and dumb to the world around her rankled the girl. Raven was right, obviously. Starfire wasn't the ditzy alien she'd taken her for. It seemed her silence was more observation, and her cheerful front just the nature of her race; to throw themselves into all things wantonly.

Live until you died, die only after you're done living.

As they neared the doors, she was struck with an odd thought, "Starfire, what do you think about the situation?"

"Between Raven and Jinx?" At Terra's nod, Starfire paused, looking down in thought. The mood passed and she crossed to the small shed leaning out of place on the Tower wall, "I believe she will be hurt. I believe it will be the greatest tragedy of her life."

Stunned, Terra stood and watched at the gold-skinned alien girl pulled a gardening trowel and a small pail from the shed, and blinked as the Tamaranian shed her clothes and put on some working attire she apparently stored there. Terra made a mental note to ask the girl if she always had such habits with modesty, but after she cleared up this confusion. "But... Raven said you two had talked, she made it sound like you were urging her to go on with this, or at least thought it was a good idea."

Nodding, Starfire went to work on the small garden she kept, her scant clothing allowing as much sunlight as possible against her skin as she worked with the native plants of her home world, the few that would take root in the dull Terran soil. "I did. I urged her to go to Jinx, if it made her happy."

"But you just said..." Terra sighed, rubbing at her head as she tried to detangle the convoluted logic she was faced with.

"Please understand, Terra," Starfire began, her attention on the small growing things below her. "I want the best for Raven. I want her to grow, and grow strong and proud and powerful. But for her the path will be hard, as she was as much a slave to her own beliefs as to the Monks that stripped her of her humanity, in order to contain a demon.

"Isn't it fitting to have one like Jinx restore it?" Smiling over her shoulder, the Tamaranian shrugged. "It will hurt her, this thing. Jinx is, to her, all the things she was denied. She offers Raven hope and a future, things even she herself cannot truly believe in. This is something none of us could offer her, could do for her. But I feel it ultimately only a part of the larger test, that her father offers." Dislodging a weed, Starfire nonchalantly burned it to ash in her hand, muttering about strangling roots.

Terra sat nearby, a large stone grounding her emotions and thoughts as she picked through the observations of the alien princess. "You mean, you feel like something like this was inevitable, with the prophecy she has?"

"Of course. What tragedy is there, without hope wound into the chorus to add contrast to it?"

Sighing, Terra stood and moved to the entrance again, "That's really... cruel."

Nodding, Starfire looked to her friend and smiled. "Such is life, Friend Terra. But just because there is tragedy, does not make the living less beautiful." With that, she went back to her gardening, while Terra banged the doors open and went to look for some breakfast.

Starfire's words, though honest and insightful, left a bitter taste in her mouth.

I Bayshore Docks I

The docks were the place you went, when you needed work but didn't want to deal with employers. No one filled out or asked for applications. If you could do your job, you got paid.

Baran Flinders did his job well. The bearded behemoth struggled with the transport crate and moved the semi sized loading box into place, while those nearby whistled in appreciation. "Good work, that damn thing was backing us up for hours, what with the lift hooks on it broken."

"No sweat," the large man grunted, making his way back to the main docks, where he helped with the more dangerous work of catching and guiding the crane loads from ships. The soon-to-be twenty year old ex-Hive member sighed, stretching and cracking his neck as the days work unfolded.

He wasn't annoyed at working on the docks.

Catching the eye of a pretty girl, her red hair a match to his own, he nodded slightly and smiled. Selinda, his sister, waved and went back to the offices. He'd taken this job, with a hit to his pay to get her one as well, but when it turned out she had a knack for bookkeeping and could keep the offices organized and working smoothly without disrupting them with her good looks, they'd negated his pay hit, even giving him a bonus.

He wasn't annoyed that he had to get his sister a job as a dockside bookie.

Baran heaved and the multi-ton load creaked and shifted against it's netting, the crane finally kicking in and pulling the load aboard the ship. He felt the strain daily, the soreness in his muscles from all abuse he heaped on himself here. Looking around, he sighed, seeing all the faces turned to him with either respect, wariness or other unknown emotions he didn't care about.

He wasn't worried about being out in public, and a known and wanted felon.

The man who was once called Mammoth sighed, and ran a finger along the small hexagonal tattoo on his shoulder, a gesture Selinda had scolded him about since the Hive dissolved so many months ago. The tattoo was from his cell, the small group he was trained and thought of as a family. His family, before Selinda had reappeared and filled that void. Mostly filled – he still missed them, regardless. Sure, she was his sister, and he loved her as much as he ever did.

But he wanted his friends back. Wanted a home full of faces and noise and the happy chatter of people that he knew and trusted.

And so, it was with a somber expression that on this, a day like any other, Mammoth took his lunch on the dockside, waiting for his sister Shimmer to come and join him. They always ate by the shore, where the water made gentle noises against the bay. The air was relaxing, and if he didn't feel his appetite, he could feed the seagulls.

Today, though, his sister brought him more than just lunch. Mammoth smiled as he read off the hasitly, and obviously photocopied note. "You sure it's her?"

Selinda grinned around her sub sandwich and nodded. "Hey, how many pink-haired teens with cat's eyes do you think there are in this world?"

"Got a point," Baran said, his eyes looking out over the bay distantly. "So she's stil out there, and ok. That's good."

"Better than ok, according to this. But for how much longer... I mean it's no secret, but there's been a few of those mob bosses that wanted Don Wrangler's place for a while now. Seeing a little girl in his place, they'll make a move," Shimmer blinked as the rock Mammoth was resting his hand on shattered under a sudden twitch of his fingers.

He grinned over at her, and she giggled at the smile she missed seeing on his face. Totally worth it, getting that note for him, she decided.

"Then I guess we just have to make sure she's got friends in the right places, eh?"

Selinda leaned back and soaked up the morning sun with a smile. "I always wanted to go to the _Oasis_. Think we can get in?"

"Think they can keep us out?"

The Flinders twins, looking nothing like the title, laughed happily as they finished their meals. It was a good day, to be at the docks after all.

-End

A/N: Yep. Took a break. Did some artwork and had holidays. Aren't you glad to see me?


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: All DC characters are owned by their owners, none of which happen to be at this moment. Brant and Fee are mine. Some other people too. Not that you'd need them anyway.**

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Warning: There is harsh language, suggestive themes, violence... yeah. Oh and a female-centric romance theme. If you didn't notice from the last chapter, things are getting more story-centered. This is a where the story is going.  
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_Shut up and shoot something. I'm bored._

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Act Four: Razors and the Dying Roses**_

**Chapter twenty**

The charnel stench of the underground facility was pleasantly offset by the dim and unfocused lighting, casting shadows about the walls and floor in a macabre dance that should make a sane viewer dizzy and disoriented just by proximity. Psimon found the effect suiting for his host, if a bit melodramatic. "Brother Blood, you said your name was again?" Stifling a chuckle as the man, a term he used loosely in regard to the youth regarded him through narrowed eyes beneath his rather silly bone helmet/mask.

"Yes. Eighth in the lineage. Brother Sebastian Blood," the youth said once again, emphasis on his last name. "To me Lord Trigon speaks directly, I am his chosen servant," with pride in his voice, the latest of those to carry the Shawl of Christ addressed the vassal of his Lord. A curious creature, Blood could tell that he bore much potential, but had little experience. Curiouser he was, with his gray matter exposed as it were, under what he had to assume was a glass dome that formed his cranium. "And what role has my Lord set for you, Psimon?" Blood asked, weary of his assessment and wanting to return to his quarters and the meditation over the future.

"I come because I choose to," the psion snapped, memories of his recent (and departed) peer's mocking tones echoing strongly in his mind at Blood's words. "Trigon gifted me with power, but does not decide my fate."

Scoffing at the fool's irony, Blood waved the mentalist off and turned, done with the meeting for all intents and purposes. "Very well, Psimon. But heed well these words," turning to regard the man before him with blood red glowing eyes, the vampire lord of the Church of Blood transfixed Psimon where he stood, indolently leaning on a wall. "All serve the Lord, by choice or design. When your time comes to play your part, fail him not." Striding from the room with a flick of his shoulder, tossing the Shawl to spin about his slight form again, Blood stalked away, regardless of the distance, his voice reached Psimon easily. "Fail him, and no amount of pride or skill will save you."

Psimon clenched his hands and glowered at the wall shielding his view, his physical view, of Blood. How easy it would be to burst the vessels of his brain! How simple to just... twist the weak gristle of his neck and watch the blood and meat fall to the floor! Gritting his teeth, he felt for that power he held and found it dormant, sleeping.

He was impotent, to read, act or lash out against Blood. Trigon, his will being Psimon's power, would not allow it. Raging against those invisible bonds, Psimon strode out and back to the surface, at once cursing and curious what his power could do; would benefit him. What would his place be, in the end if all he truly was, was a pawn?

_"A living pawn, my Psimon,"_ Trigon's voice echoed in his mind, making him pause in his rage-driven trek from Blood's compound. _"As opposed to a dead fool."_ The chilly tones of those words gave the mentalist pause, as he surveyed the cityscape outside the obscured entrance to the Church's lair behind him.

"You gave me these powers to use, you hold their reins in your hands," Psimon said, quietly but with all the force of his lifetime's pride and angst charging the words. "What would you have me do with them? What way shall I prove myself now?" The sensation, rather than visceral sound of Trigon's laughter made the altered scientist shiver. Again the voice, echoing inside his mind as if it were his own thoughts, mingling with those thoughts boomed inside his head.

_"Serve, and in so doing, prove worthy. Serve, by forcing out into the open those that would aid in preventing my ascendancy. Destroy the League, cripple the pink-haired whelp, annihilate the Titans."_ Pictures, information, plans formed in Psimon's mind at each mention, opportunities to flex the powers he was given flaring up and settling a smile on his twisted features.

"As you command, my Lord."

_I Oasis bar and Lounge I_

"That could have gone... better," Raven mumbled as the heavy door to the conference room boomed shut.

Jinx sat, or nearly lay, on the the table nearby, her arms folded under her head as she stared the blank wall across from her. "Gee, you think?," sighing, she waved an apology to Raven for her tone. "Sorry, just – I guess that didn't go how I expected."

"How did you expect it to go?" Raven glanced to the door as Brant and Fee walked in, concern and annoyance in mixed portions plain on their faces. Jinx barely spared them a look, as she mulled over Raven's question.

"I don't know. Questions and deals, not just... feeling backed against a wall. I mean, remember when I went to the Tower, to speak with Robin?"

Nodding, a slight smile managed to sneak it's way to the Titan's lips, "Yeah, that was a grand performance. What happened different?"

Shaking her head slowly, the Thief leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Not sure. Just felt on edge, like I was being observed more then dealing with a syndicate boss."

Thinking back on the meeting, Raven could understand why her feline companion would think so. Since walking in the door, Matchstick had his eyes riveted to her every move. It wasn't like being scrutinized by some random stranger though – Matchstick seemed to be expectant with his observation. Raven felt it in his posture, his reactions sometimes, but as for an empathic impression... again her powers were failing her. _First Brant, now a random thug. What's going on? _

Fee slipped into a chair, her particular way of moving making it seem more like she flowed around and into it rather than seating herself. "Take it went less than optimal, Jennifer?"

Groaning slightly, Jinx raised her head and refocused her attention on the room, the people inside it again. "Yeah. Less than optimal. Basically we recemented the old deals – Jump and the Bay area work in conjunction with the Gotham situation to make sure both East and West coasts are operating in the same arena. No one trying to preempt the other."

Brant nodded once quickly, "That's the standard, for allied territories. So he honors your ascent to position then?"

"I don't know if 'Honor' is the word I'd use... but for the moment, that feels about right," Jinx answered, looking over to Raven. "Did you read anything off him? I was only able to get the vague sense he was expecting something of me, or from the meeting but I'll be damned if I could figure out what."

Sighing, Raven shook her head in a negative, "No, he was rather hard to read. I couldn't feel anything from him, and had to fall back on other queues. Which is... bothersome." When Jinx raised a brow in question, Raven shrugged and stood, stretching. "Posture, tone, nervous habits; all things one can condition into or out of. It's dangerous to base a situation like this, to read his reactions on that alone."

"I thought you were an empath?" Feel hazarded, not looking at the Titan so much as around her.

Jinx winced slightly at Raven's huffed response."I am. But I've found sometimes that isn't reliable," pointing, she glared slightly in Brant's direction. "Like you. I can't sense anything from you at all."

Looking to Jinx a moment, the large man raised a brow. "Whatever you know, could help me out in the future. So if you know why she can't read you, maybe it would help explain Malone."

Nodding once, Brant sat in one of the seemingly too-small chairs and reached up and behind his ears. A moment later, two small ceramic semicircles were laid on the table, and Raven's perception of the room shifted, his mind flowing into the pattern. The way she perceived thoughts and emotions was for all purposes another sense, and with those small items, it seemed Brant simply ceased to be, within it. Reaching over, she took one of the offending objects, no larger than her bent thumb and looked at it, distressed. "What are these?"

The bodyguard sat silently for many moments, his eyes locked on those of his employer. Jinx decided to answer for him, "A sort of neural blocking tech, that we imported from Gotham, oddly enough. I'd nearly forgotten about them. My father had Brant and a few key operatives in his employ use them for some time." Picking up the mate to the small device Raven stared at, Jinx thumbed the curve of the thing, looking thoughtful. "I'd completely forgotten about these. Sorry, Raven."

The Titan's mind was somewhere, and sometime else. She was recalling a certain ill-fated meeting with Robin on the roof of her tower home. And his mask, containing the same technology. "I've seen this before. I need to talk to Robin. Something is very odd here."

It was uncommon for Jinx to see the Titan so distraught, and it took her by surprise that such a small thing would affect her so. Still, it made sense. From what she understood of the girl, those things were basically anathema to her perceptions. "Brant does anyone else currently use these?"

"None still on payroll, Ma'am."

"Huh, not precisely the best answer there. Right," standing, the Thief sighed and stretched, cracking joints that felt the burden of too many years for her age. "I'm going downstairs, who's coming along?"

_I oOo I_

The first thing Raven noticed about the Oasis, now that the meeting was over and she had a moment to spare it thought, was that the place had a very old, established air despite being a relatively modern club. Smiling to herself she wondered what frame of reference allowed her to make such an observation, being the habitual wallflower she was. "This was your father's place before, Jinx?"

Pulling her gaze off Matchstick's assistants, finishing up their drinks and settling tabs, Jinx focused on the Titan and nodded distractedly. "Yeah, he got it from his father I think. Back before we were the mob. I'm not sure, maybe it was a territory claim," scouring her memory, the Thief shook her head and shrugged. "Don't recall for sure, I can ask Joe though," considering the steady, appraising gaze Raven was leveling about the bar, Jinx paused in her introspection, from the recent meeting. "Something wrong?"

"No, no nothing like that," the Titan murmured softly, running a hand along a tabletop as they made a slow trek across the mostly empty floor. Smiling at Jinx she shook her head again and pulled her mind back from the tangle of thoughts she'd acquired on their ride, focusing on the moment at hand. "Mostly It just feels older than it looks. Like it's been here much longer."

Jinx looked over to Joe, tending bar as he always was. Idly, she wondered if he ever took a day off. "I"ll ask the manager sometime, he'll know for certain." As they'd walked, lingering in talking, Brant had cleared out a booth for them, while Fee fetched drinks. "Bah, hardly noon and I feel like the day's behind me. So tired of these meetings, territorial nonsense."

"Isn't that what you do now, though? What it means to be where you are?" Raven inquired, remembering back to the discussion in the sedan on the way here. True, so much of that seemed inspired by Jinx's dissatisfaction with her place, the way things were in regard to the hand she'd been dealt. Would it be something she could handle in the long run? Raven worried for her, in this.

Nodding slowly, the Thief settled into the booth with a sigh, happy for the contrast of cushioned seats to hard metal folding chair. "Yeah, but I'm still me. I'd still rather be dashing along rooftops and down narrow alleys than holed up in a conference room making vague threats to smelly middle-aged mob middlemen."

"Can't say that I'd fault you in that."

Chuckling darkly, Jinx nodded. "Still, that last meeting... I'm glad it's over and done. Now I can get to work." Her mind settled back on the last half an hour, spent in one of those dolefully held conference rooms. For all her groaning, the meeting didn't go as badly as it could have, even if she came out feeling somewhat unsettled.

Looking at the hallway leading upstairs, she recalled the meeting in detail.

Jinx nodded and motioned for Brant and Fee to walk ahead, with herself and Raven behind as they neared the hallway leading to the back rooms. They'd been discussing plans, to go back to Titan's tower after this, but her voice trailed off to a near-whisper as they neared the room ahead, one of Joe's staff staring stolidly at what had to be another of Matchstick's attendants. Sighing to herself, Jinx imagined that the air of hostility between them all would likely do nothing to ease the meeting itself. "You two stay here," nodding at Brant and Fee, the Thief lead the way to the door without pause, the air of position Raven had noted when they arrived again falling into place.

Matchstick's attendant stepped aside, the odds too stacked against him for the thug to hold his ground in the staring match with Joe's man. Refusing to take a moment to steady her nerves, Jinx let herself and Raven into the room, coming face to face finally with one of the premier criminal powers in the country.

Sitting slouched back in his chair, a rumpled khaki trench coat around his shoulders, sat the object of Jinx's anxiety. All in all, she was a bit let down immediately with the man's appearance. Rumpled, unkempt, almost disheveled in looks, Matchstick relayed nothing of his reputation in his dress. His namesake was held between his teeth as he looked the girls over with a piercing glare, the wooden stem rolling between his teeth once as he settled the chair back to the floor where he had leaned it back.

"'Bout time, was about to go down for 'nother drink." His voice was short and clipped, partially from his east coast accent, partly from the matchstick nested between his teeth. Raven found the gesture, be it nervous tic or simply habit, overly distracting.

Jinx wasn't one to let another, on her grounds, dictate the first contact of a meeting. Matchstick was intimidating, mostly she found in that he was fairly unreadable. His expression was severe, but gave away little. It seemed like an angry scowl was permanently etched on to his face, disallowing other expressions. On top of that, the trench coat kept his posture and hands hidden. The only thing she had to work from, to gauge his words and temperament was the matchstick and the tone of his voice. Despite the man's poker face and unreadability, Jinx felt that in this place, on her own territory, she could easily keep the upper hand. "Welcome to the club, or should I say, welcome back? I can't imagine someone with your connections somehow not coming to speak with my father during his time."

Matchstick grunted in response, favoring the question a moment as he rolled the matchstick from one side of the mouth to the other. "Right. Been here before, can't say the place improved much."

Stiffening in her chair, Jinx's eyes narrowed, "If you're questioning my hospitality..."

A snort was her only reply for a moment. "Get me wrong, missy. Like Joe fine – he makes a nice drink. Air's clean, people aren't annoying." Smiling coldly, the racketeer rattled the ice in his glass once. "Didn't say it got worse."

The pink-haired Thief barely cracked a grin, nodding once. "I see. Sorry for getting riled, Matchstick." Taking a sip of her own drink, she repressed a grimace at the strong pine flavor of the Martini, "Thanks for coming by so soon after the transition, helps keep things moving smooth if all the details are handled quickly, don't you think?"

"Oho? So you think 'business as usual' huh?" Tilting his head in Raven's direction, Matchstick raised a brow, "Innit one of the Bat kid's playpals? Odd company you keep, missy."

"She's not the one to worry about, I am." Eyes narrowed, Jinx leaned across the table slightly.

"Worry? 'Bout what?"

Smiling suddenly with a slight laugh, the Thief leaned back into her chair and let out a sigh. "For one, we're your west-coast shipping hub. You want it off the country, it either goes through me... or my sister." Quirking her lip suddenly, Jinx wrapped an arm around the back of her chair, "You'll find us a very tightly knit group."

Grunting acknowledgment of her logic, Matchstick nodded once. "Hardball is it. Fine, yeah. So you're cutting out the black hat from the wardrobe I hear."

"Why, yes." Smiling coldly, Jinx sighed and relaxed into her chair, along with her role. "I plan on actually cutting out all the... distasteful aspects from the organization that I can."

"Dirty business inside the landfill? Funny."

"You may laugh, but every time I see some cracked out kid on the corner peddling to his friends, I feel like handing my friend here-" waving to Raven, Jinx winked in the Titan's direction. "Names. Lots. Of names."

Matchstick went still, his glass empty in hand. "Dirty business that. Lot of enemies. Too many for one little miss."

"Oh I know I can't stop them all. How could I? I can't be everywhere at once. But I can make sure those that work against me, loose the backing they need. A house of cards falls in even a gentle breeze."

"Dad build a brick house, plan to tear it down?" Matchstick looked around the room, bored seeming in his restlessness. Jinx took the opportunity to stretch herself, still somewhat weary from the morning's abrupt start.

Rankled slightly at the tone and implication, Jinx none the less had to admit it was precisely what she had in mind. Her father's well running machine, already largely missing the elements she wanted to weed out, would be utterly destroyed by the end results of her plan. "I don't think you need to worry about the details around how I do things, so much as the bottom line."

Matchstick smiled, his eyes veiled by the light and his hair. "Brass tacks. Alright, bottom line? Gotham gets priority. Shipments and manpower. You break down this house, other bosses will notice, right?" Jinx nodded in affirmative as, he continued, "You'll get them riled. They'll send hitmen. Open war in the streets, when you break down the system."

"I won't let that happen to my city."

"Oho. Yours now? Ambitious. Right then, you manage to keep street dry, and I'll go whole hog. Don't want my people involved in your war. Keep it at home. Bottom line, I'm your goto. East coast, goes through me."

"Isn't that only natural?" Smiling, Jinx held out her hand, much as a princess to an attendant prince as she stood. "You acknowledge – and support me, in the ways I need here to rebuild my house less as a dead-end, and you get to reap the goods." Advancing, moving beside the table to face Matchstick directly, Jinx stopped and held her position. "I'm going to tear the roots out of this underworld and turn it on it's head. I'll run the network from a web that only the spiders – me and mine, can see. No more bosses, no more middlemen.

"Just the bottom line. Survival."

"Tall words. See if you can match'em," the racketeer took Jinx's hand and kissed the back, quirking his lip slightly at the end. "Make it happen, I see the way of it. Less pressure on the neighborhoods, more money for the real man. Less intrigue and infighting. And underworld in order, huh."

"Order in chaos, Matchstick." the Thief smiled, genuinely and took her seat again. "It's hardly possible for me to reform my people. Pull them out of the street and make them right-standing people. Why should I?" Laughing, she gestured to Raven and flashed a wicked grin. "I take out all the criminals, she goes out of work. No deal." Raven favored her with a glare which the feline overlooked.

"All I can do, is put what I know, who I am on the line and see what happens. I'm a criminal. A thief. I'll steal the city out from under them, and they won't even know it."

Laughing, Matchstick shook his head and stood, settling the hat more solidly on his head. "Luck in that, miss. See how it turns out, huh. I'll be watching."

"Sure you will. Remember the deal; I play my hand, take that chance. When I win, you be there to back me up. Keep Gotham off my back, and I'll make sure you get the business."

"Right right. Simple yeah?" Smirking, he made the way to the door and knocked, summoning his attendants. "We'll see."

"Indeed," Jinx answered, leaning back in her chair, the Thief waited for Matchstick to leave before slumping and letting loose a weary sigh. "So Raven, what do you think about a drink?"

Said drinks being clinked onto the tabletop roused her from her memories. "Oh, thanks Fee... seemed to have drifted off there."

"I noticed," the Titan murmured quietly, watching her feline with concern. "Are you sure about going to the Tower tonight?" She watched Jinx's expression turn from distracted and somewhat unfocused to openly nervous.

_"It may not be such a good idea tonight, with as off as I am,"_ the Thief thought as she mulled the idea over in her mind. Aside from the fact that it was the Tower, there was also the outstanding issue behind why they were going as well. Her plans, as they were, to help Raven stave off her Father's prophesy.

What a tangled web-

"Boss, trouble."

Snapping out of her second reverie in as many minutes it seemed, Jinx turned to one of Joe's – her, employees and found the hired hand looking nervously toward the door. Brant had already stood and was shielding her from the doorway directly, which she found more annoying that words would describe. She wasn't a child to be kept apart, damnit. "Fee, what's going on?"

Raven and the demoness stared as one at the door, Fee cracking open a golden eye to peer at the archway, while Raven seemed to loose focus. "I can't say, but someone there is very curious, and very determined. About you."

The Titan only nodded agreement, brow furrowed heavily. The only word to leave her lips was a quietly murmured "Familiar," before the racket of bodies hitting reinforced walls reverberated over the music.

Jinx took the moment to spring up and by her bodyguard, much like the night she acquired her new car. This time she sprinted only a short distance before the shadow that filled the doorway became clear, making her skid to a halt where she stood, mouth agape.

A low rumble, amused despite the basso cast it took, sounded over the silence of the bar. "What's a bloke got to do to get a drink in a dive like this?"

Jinx's mouth worked for a moment, before she lept at the huge man, grinning from ear to ear in the doorway, all but blocking it completely. "Baran!"

Raven turned to the bewildered entourage, the bodyguard and the demoness staring unsettled as the quirky Thief glomped onto the massive man's shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. Never knowing the rest of the Hive Academy members, she figured the sight of Mammoth standing there, much less getting a warm welcome from their patron would be something... new.

"I take she didn't mention the other family, then?" The Titan hazarded with a smirk.

_I oOo I_

Twenty minutes and a few rounds of drinks later, found a very curious corner table in the otherwise normally lively club. On the back wall sat the pink haired patron, Jinx, with her hand openly clasped in that of Raven, who was failing at concealing a blush across her dusky cheeks. To Jinx's left, sat Brant who kept eyeing the other table occupants occasionally like one would an errant gnat, while to the Titan's side was the stunning blonde that for some reason never opened her eyes, animatedly chatting with a girl who seemed her age, but could be her mirror opposite. Taking up the entire floorward side of the table was an enormous man, with ruddy hair that settled into a beard below his rather sharp features, his frame ill-contained in the largest casual shirt likely anyone had ever seen. Currently, they were laughing about the stand-up comedian being broadcast across the bar's networked televisions.

"Oh, brother that one'd get him a fat lip on the dock," Mammoth muttered with a slight smile. The girl to his side, Shimmer as Jinx had introduced her, giggled slightly and nodded. Jinx hid her snicker behind a hand while Raven barely managed to keep her blush in check, not used to being pulled out into public, at least not out in front of past HIVE members, and shown the open affection the feline was displaying.

The Thief sighed and leaned back, stretching again for what felt like the fiftieth time that day. "Man, it's good to see you guys again. I had no idea you ended up working the docks, I was just out there the other week picking up... well some things my sister left behind," grinning a bit, she laughed when Baran's snort gave her the answer she expected to hear.

"Was you out there huh? Should have known, what with the 'Sister' not making any noise about the box being opened when we phoned her," nudging his own sister very gently, the enormous man grinned. "Owe me a C-note there, told you it was her."

Shimmer, Selinda by name during their introductions, huffed and rolled her eyes, her brother's nudge nearly unseating her regardless. "Lunk. You were claiming every third call on the police band was Jinxy at that point."

Smiling, the Thief sat in a happy warmth, the camaraderie of old and new friends wrapping around her like a comfortable, familiar blanket. Thoughts of the HIVE followed soon after, and with them the warmth faded, but only slightly. "Shimmer, what happened, with everyone?"

The dark haired girl blinked at her once, confused by the ambiguous question before nodding slowly. "Yeah, that's right, you were already gone."

"Hold on, I mean... we all just got back in touch, lets not-" Mammoth trailed off when Jinx leveled a look at him, the old concern and worry he was used to as she led their cell clear in her eyes. Sighing, the man shook his head and leaned back, reaching for the fifth pitcher of beer he'd been brought.

Shimmer looked around the bar, collecting her thoughts for a few moments. "Things went bad. I don't know how else to say it." Her erstwhile teammate looked about to say something but stopped as Selinda shook her head slowly. "Fee, go get some more drinks honey. After you left Jenny, some things... changed.

"Brother Blood, the one you know? Headmaster. He's dead. His son showed up and... the HIVE is gone."

"Gone... what? It can't." Jinx leaned back and looked down, her eyes shadowed behind her hair. Raven reached over, trying to comfort the slight girl, but Jinx jerked away. "Why. What happened. Tell me."

Baran hid behind his pitcher as Selinda looked to him for backup, her shoulders slumping as memories of those hard times came back. "We don't really know why, but a few days after you left, someone claiming to be Blood's son showed up. Things were... horrible." Taking the drink Fee returned with, the dark-haired transmuter braced herself and tried to work past the lump in her throat. "He's powerful. Every time someone fought him he'd manage to bite them. He's like a vampire, blood seemed to increase his power," shaking off the images, the girl stilled.

Raven looked around the table, feeling more out of place than ever before. Here was the dark mirror of her own home, her own family as it were, broken and brokenhearted. How much different would things have been, had the Titans broken the HIVE themselves? Her blood chilled. Their pain was real, like them. Real. It crystallized them in her mind, where before much like her own team they were only soulless faces.

With a heavy breath Mammoth's sister continued, "It was good you left when you did, and that Mik got out with you. Some people... didn't."

"Shimmer, just tell me. Who." Jinx's voice was quiet, but laced with iron.

"Angel. Seemore and Billy. Most of the first years. It was bad, Jenny. The Academy burned down, and from what I hear, he's set up base in the ruins, underground," Shimmer went on, describing the details of the takeover, Headmaster Blood's death and the rise of his son, Sebastian. Throughout, Raven sat silent, her hand inches from that of Jinx, but never touching. She couldn't feel this pain, not from her. It wasn't right, to intrude even in that much. It didn't matter how much she shared with her now, how close they were or how far they'd go for one another at this point. That invisible barrier, between her as a Titan and Jinx's life in the HIVE wasn't so easy to simply discard. By the end tears, it was impossible to tell if they were from sadness or rage, dripped freely from the Thief's chin as she held herself still in the booth, an island among her friends.

Her friends. Jinx took a deep breath and looked up at Raven, something inside her snapping free. The Titan's eyes widened slightly as she saw the edges around Jinx's eyes darken, as if the pen that defined the girl slipped and went wide in places. "Will you forgive me Raven?"

"Jinx, what do you-"

The Thief pushed her back, her tears forgotten, her place, the place they were in and all around them. Only she and Raven existed in this moment, and she needed something from the dark Titan. "Will you forgive me? If I do something horrible, will you?" her lips grazed the Titan's ear, her breath hissing between her teeth as the Thief's hands bunched up and held the Titan's clothes tightly. Raven instinctively wrapped an arm around the lithe feline, feeling the vibration of her energy building under her skin.

Raven's mouth worked silently, a battle raging behind her eyes as Jinx's pleaded with her. It struck her then, a simple truth she'd come to realize later in detail, but that for this moment, agonized her. "I'll... I'll always forgive you. How can I not," turning her eyes away, she mouthed something lost to the sound of the club, but not to Jinx's ears.

Jinx's smile, tear-laced as it was, lifted Raven's heart as she braced for what came next, still surprised at the truth of it afterward. She expected a declaration of vengeance, even to see the girl dash out of the club, but what happened took her wholly by surprise.

One moment the feline was sitting there, smiling at her, and the next she simply wasn't. Raven had the impression of looking through a very strong lens for a moment, before the world came back into focus with a small gust of air filling the space Jinx had occupied.

Had occupied. The girl was gone.

_I Onbudget Hotel, two miles from the Tower I_

Zatanna and the two Johns, one Constantine and one Stewart, were currently trying to make the best of an awkward situation. "I don't know why we don't have the right reservation, nor do I know why there's some... ridiculous number of conventions in the area this week!" The witch ranted on, while throwing civilian clothes out of a wooden trunk, in quantities that defied it's size. "Sure, Halloween is nearly here, just a few days off. But why the hell would there be so few vacancies?"

John Stewart, one of the current members of the Green Lantern corp on earth, simply sighed and leaned against the wall he was nearest. It'd taken him three minutes to unpack his duffel into one of the drawers, but even that meager space was 'needed' by the woman he was supposed to be working with. Somehow, he had doubts about the wardrobe space she needed, considering her usual costume, as it were, was little more than a tank top, a top hat, and a garter belt and hose. Oh, and a suit jacket, probably tailored for her before she was street-legal... "Listen, it doesn't matter. What matters is the assignment, and getting done with it as soon as possible." Turning his back to the room, the ex-marine looked out over the city from the window of their budget hotel, muttering the end of his rant to himself, "and the sooner I can get out of this dump and back into decent quarters."

"Oi, have you seen the 'loo? Comes with a coffee maker!" Constantine held up some of the hotel brand drip, still sealed in it's little foil bags as proof. Not seeing the expected responses from his impromptu roommates, he shook them again, for emphasis. "Coffee! Brilliant!"

Slamming the lid shut on her trunk, Zatanna sighed, "That's it, I'm getting my own room."

"Right fine idea, I mean, I got nothing against ol'boy over there, but I wasn't signing on for a troy when you volunteered me-"

"Not with you!"

Sniffing once, and looking quite put off, the British agent shrugged and proceeded to empty the coffee he found into a filter. "Well fine, I suppose. Never let me be one to question your choices or anything. Girl can do what – and whom, she likes in my boo-" his monologue was cut short, when he caught a boot with his face, courtesy of one mistress of magic.

"I'm going to the front desk. Don't. Follow. Me." As she stormed off, the other Johns took a moment to look at one another, before going back about their business. Stewart shook his head and turned back to the window, the view offering at best a shielded view of the city around them. From the bayside beyond, lightly glinting in the haze he could just make out the "T" of the Titans tower. The target of their work, the investigation and the worry of the League, all focused in that preposterous building. Not long – and they'd be done here. Halloween and the tasks at hand and then it would be done.

Constantine smirked as the ex-marine went back to his preoccupied staring, it let him turn his attention back to the circle of coffee rounds he was making in the floor of the bathroom. With Zatanna so worked up about the room, and the green boy experiencing typical military tunnel vision, he had ample time to work on some of his own projects. Foremost of those, was divining the location of Raven's sapphic little interest.

Like everyone, regardless of their origins, Raven had her weaknesses. Find the pink-haired little minx, and they'd have all the answers. The trick was getting the two of them together. Just not on their terms. They'd dodge, weave and bend things their way so whatever information they got was completely at the whim of the girls themselves. Watching them, observing them – nothing would get done this way. "You have to upset the applecart to get the good apples. Why bother with the ones on top? First picked are always first set. Got to get in the bottom." Grinning, the British rogue finished his impromptu incantation and sat back to observe the results.

Oily smoke rose from the summoning, prompting the appearance of the tiny imp that sat shivering, wincing at the harsh fluorescence of the bathroom light. "Sssss.. stuuu... pid. Hhhh – humaaaan," the tiny demon's voice slivered from it's lips, as the gnarled form shivered. "What. What do you want?" Glaring about itself, the imp clawed at the light spearing it's eyes and skin.

"Good to see you in such high spirits there Zzeenti. Sorry about the lousy circle, but well." Holding up the foil pack, the man ran a hand behind his ear, a wince following as his fingers brushed the nascent cigarette there. "Desperate times. Anyway, got a favor for you."

Hissing the tiny demon glared daggers at the man, the hated human that knew it's name. "Snappy. Cold in this nowhere. What do you want?" The imp warily dodged the man's hand as it reached out to grab hold of a leathery ear.

Constantine grinned and pulled the captive demon's head around hard, whispering as he pulled a vial of holy water from a pocket. "Here's what we needs the little Zzeenti to do," his smile growing wicked, the man ran an appraising finger along the vial, in plain view of the tiny imp. Hissing, the demon listened quietly, fidgeting madly as Constantine brought the small glass container within a hand's breadth from it's face.

Zatanna would have to forgive him later. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, mother always said.

_I Oasis bar and Lounge I_

Chaotic is the usual nature of a club, but at the moment... the Oasis was in rare condition. "Fee, where is she?"

Gasping around the cold wrapping her from neck to foot, the demoness gritted her teeth and shook her head as she could, held a meter off the ground by the black force enveloping her. Shimmer, Mammoth and Brant all stood back and to the side, surprised and shocked at the suddenness of the the Titan's actions. "Don't.. know! Put me down!" Growling out the final words the demoness writhed harder, trying to break free of Raven's control.

"Raven! Put her down, she's not the reason here!" Brant took a step forward, hand outstretched toward the slight girl but stopped almost immediately. Straining against air, the bodyguard let out a final, annoyed grunt before black force encased his arms and legs as well. From the corner of her eye, the Titan watched him, before focusing again on the blonde before her.

The Titan knew damn well Fee had nothing to do with Jinx's little vanishing act. In truth, she could have gotten the answer she needed more easily from Mammoth or Shimmer. Logically, they knew more about the HIVE, it's location and the details behind Blood's demise and his son's rise. Logic usually held a strong place in her mind. Right now wasn't one of those times.

Curling her lip slightly, the Titan slipped backwards further into shadow, her eyes outlined in luminous black as she willed her cloak around her shoulders. Garbed in a way she felt more comfortable, the Titan released Jinx's entourage and sighed, looking up at the club lights, winking like mad stars above her. "Sorry... I need. I need help," looking from face to face, she sighed and seemed to shrink in on herself. "I need to find her."

Looking from Brant to Jinx's old allies, Fee cracked an eye at the Titan, unable to veil her anxiety. "We'll help, Raven. But you have to let us," gesturing to the others she braced herself from the chair she leaned on, after being let down suddenly from Raven's power. "But no more of... this," waving at herself, the demoness straitened her skirt and stood straiter.

Raven looked at the floor intently a few moments, before shaking her head once. "I'm sorry. I just... I..." letting free a strained breath, the Titan stepped out of the shadows and held her hands out, palms up. "Help me find her. I can't loose her now."

Mammoth and Shimmer looked to one another nervously, familiar with the Titan's powers but not her apparent emotional instabilities. Mammoth had never seen the girl more than mildly annoyed, and to come face to face with not only Jinx's attraction, but Raven's nearly panicked reaction, was a bit much to take at once. For so long, his sister and the HIVE were his only family, and he believed that the time they'd spent together let him know them well. Now, everything was put on it's head. Nothing seemed the same, or familiar. At a loss, he fell back on looking to Shimmer for guidance, to be met with only an uncertain shrug.

For her part, Shimmer had never been as enfolded in the day-to-day of HIVE life as her brother or his close friends. In fact, she'd only shown up to pull him out of that place. Finding what she did, though, a surrogate family that actually cared about her sometimes easily misled sibling, Selinda had stayed on, taking a little of that warmth for herself. That warmth wasn't exactly the feeling she got around the Titan. "I – we want to find her too," looking to the bodyguard who'd been introduced as Brant, she shrugged once again. "I guess we're in. I can only think of one place Jinx would go, really."

Raven pulled her cloak up till only her eyes glinted in the shadows it cast. "Take us to the HIVE."

_I oOo I_

Years sequestered in the temples of Azarath. Months working with the Titans. Weeks in emotional stasis, after the accident.

Only days have they been together, and yet it felt like a lifetime. She could feel, see her lifetime ahead of her, with Jinx. A life that extended beyond the next few days. As much as she tried to deny herself hope and faith in that small chance, it remained.

And every time she felt that comfort of being near her, started getting complacent with the Thief, something pushed them apart. It was growing tiresome.

"We need to get out by the old airfield, there was a sports arena there, that the last Brother Blood converted to the school," Shimmer recounted, as Brant pulled his weapons out, reloading and resetting cartridges. Raven nodded, remembering the rough location by memory. It would be enough to teleport them there. She couldn't spare the time needed to travel by slower means.

Mammoth sighed, stripping out of his work clothes and down to the tights he always wore beneath. Fee raised an eyebrow at the sight, but the giant man simply shrugged. "Not so easy to find underclothes my size." Laughing quietly the demoness shook her head, debating her own preparation.

"What will we find there?" She asked, noting that Shimmer was also accenting her attire, normal as it was, with a handgun and what odd supplies Brant could spare her. Looking back to Raven, she found the Titan was preparing as well. Communicator out, she was typing in some information, or calling for backup. From here, Fee couldn't tell. The Titan was already in her usual garb, simple close-fitting tights with a trailing skirt slit to the hip, topped with her signature cloak, the hood thrown back.

Looking form one to another nervously, Fee simply pulled her jacket closer to her. "I'm ready when everyone else is then," she said quietly, fairly certain only Brant heard her voice. The succubus didn't want to let them on to the depth of her nature – the true face of her demonic heritage.

No one questioned her apparent lack of preparation, only gathering by the hallway where they'd recently dealt with Malone. Quietly, they waited for each other to prepare, coming to wait beside her one by one. First to join was Shimmer, followed soon by her brother. "What are we going to be running into, at your old Academy?" the demoness asked, hoping that in some way they could avoid this turning into an enormous mistake. The last thing they needed was to set themselves up for an ambush they walked into open-eyed.

"Other than Blood himself, mostly just the usual HIVE troops, but by now I have no idea. He was killing them of so quick in the initial takeover..." trailing off, Shimmer shook her head hard, trying to dislodge the awful images. "He's probably got more guards, more zealots. The Church seemed to always have a lot of people trailing after it. As for how hard it'll be, how dangerous... I wish I knew."

Brant finished securing a final clip in his belt as he walked over, listening to Shimmer's answer. Looking them over once again, assessing his assets in those who would accompany him, the bodyguard sighed. Strong man. Waif. Bystander. Head-case. He resisted the urge to twitch his hand, wanting to get more ammo.

Raven's voice cut over the din, quiet yet strong. "Are we ready?"

Shimmer looked to her brother briefly and nodded for them both. Fee, barely looking up nodded demurely, only Raven's empathy picking up on the girl's anxiety and eagerness to go. To punctuate the moment, Brant cocked the slide of his pistol, the metallic 'snakt' of the round sliding into the chamber ending the conversation.

"Then we go." With a flourish, the Titan swept her cloak around the rag-tag group, the dark folds cutting out all light as the girl swept them along with her teleportation. _"Strange that I don't even notice the strain of this much power being used anymore,"_ she thought, somewhat bitterly. Perhaps it was the herald of her legacy, that she become more adept at using her power so soon to her birthday. Perhaps it was just a consequence of her loosening emotional hold. Either way; if it helped get Jinx back home safe, she wouldn't complain.

The city had nearly annexed the area where the stadium had been as a new landfill zone. It wouldn't have seemed out of place, with the sheer amount of debris the group found. "Looks like someone dropped a building from a few hundred feet here," Fee commented, picking her way around the collapsed structure before her carefully.

Brant scanned the area slowly, picking out places to duck if there was a firefight, but ultimately gave up. This obviously wasn't going to be a holding position. "Well, to be honest that's nearly what happened," Shimmer replied, arms wrapped around herself as she remembered that day. Being in the middle of the ruined school brought back memories she'd rather not be having. The bodyguard took note of her posture, the way the others shifted aimlessly, taking in the wreckage.

"We need to be moving. Standing still only makes us easier targets and further behind Miss Wrangler."

Shaking herself from her own memories, Shimmer nodded, pointing to the west. "That way, the underground access was over there." Following her lead, the small group strode on, picking a careful way through the massive arching remains of what could have been a gymnasium or conference hall. Raven took the lead after a time, using her senses to find a safer path, after Brant nearly lost his footing on some loose boards that seemed to be over a gaping chasm. Something was also worrying her, since they'd arrived.

She could faintly feel Jinx, somewhat close but distant at once. The Titan assumed it was the depth of earth that was dulling her empathy, but there was also another sensation. Strong, incredibly strong. And malicious. It had passed this way recently, and Raven couldn't tell with the swirl of impressions from the dead school if the one that gave off those feelings was still nearby. "Keep your eyes open, something was here recently, and I don't think it was Jinx."

They were just arriving at what had to be the underground access when both Raven and Fee stopped cold, looking around frantically and then at one another. Gesturing out at the wreckage, Fee looked to the Titan, "Did you-"

"-just feel that?" Raven finished, nodding slowly. "Another demon." The Titan glared around, mentally cursing herself for being so preoccupied as to not be able to pinpoint the location of the feeling. It was weak, barely there, but that only meant that whoever was observing them was careful. Careful meant they would be difficult to deal with. Easy foes were never careful.

Shimmer reached forward and tugged slightly on Raven's cloak, earning her a brief glare before he Titan turned her attention to the girl. "Don't you think that if we have to go into the compound, we should, well, get more people?" Practically oozing anxiety, the transmuter shuffled back beside her hulking brother for support. "I mean, we watched this kid practically destroy this place single handed. I know the HIVE wasn't the most elite team on earth, but there were still dozens of us. If we're going in there, we need more people."

Raven nodded as something tickled at the back of her mind. "I think your wish may have just been granted."

Brant and Fee both looked to the sky as something reached their ears, a faint hum and rumble. It was then that the demoness remembered the Titan making contact with her team before they'd left the bar. Cursing her own lack of perception, the blonde closed her eyes tighter, earning her an odd look from Brant. "Something wrong?"

Shaking her head, Fee sighed quietly. "No, and yes, and who knows. I just want to get in there and get Jenny out."

As the sound resolved itself to a small air skiff, something Fee would describe as a motorcycle with one too many sidecars and wings. It wasn't the vehicle that got her attention though, rather the people in it. Raven walked up the three that stepped out of the skiff, stopping some distance away to take them in.

Stepping around a fallen support beam, the first to greet them surveyed the group with a single hard blue eye, as the rest of her squad assembled behind her. Neatly pinned to her orange and azure scaled uniform was a yellow "T". To her left, a young man in red and gold grinned nervously, while to her right stood Terra, eyeing the white-haired girl before her with less than a warm expression. That cold blue eye turned back to the the dark Titan, after surveying Raven's impromptu band. "You must be Raven."

Raven suppressed a shiver as her empathy slipped over, and shied away from the mind behind that single blue eye. "Ravager."

A cruel smile graced the otherwise pretty face of the girl, "You shouldn't turn off your phone. Half of the city is going mad, or being held at gunpoint," smirking slightly, the Ravager, Rose Wilson, held up her own T-Comm, the mode set for display, at Raven's shocked expression. "Some psychic is running rampant in the business district, while there are some religious zealots out in the residential sector apparently 'culling' the breeding stock." Looking over the Titan's company, she smiled again, below her half mask. "Interesting company you're keeping."

Despite the bristling from both sides of the conversation, Terra looking like she was about to drop a two-ton pebble on the platinum blonde to shut her up, while Shimmer audibly growled, Raven remained calm during the exchange. Tilting up her own lips in a half smile, the empath waved her group forward, following soon after. "I see that Robin still has faith in me, though. He knows what's at stake here, so I figured he's only spare one or two people.

"I figure Terra and Flash can keep an eye on you, keep you from tripping on your own feet long enough for us to finish this," Grinning wickedly over her shoulder at Ravager's glare, the Titan caught her blonde teammate stifling a giggle. "Although, I'd duck if I were you. May be hard to get around in these tunnels with a swelled head."

Terra had no idea why Rose had decided to bait Raven like she had, but to be honest, she half expected there to be some static between the two. After all – this was Slade's daughter, his apprentice since the attempts to turn Robin had failed so miserably. Hell, the new team had barely arrived when the Tower alarms went haywire, making Cyborg think initially it was a system error. Robin barely had time to toss the new recruits Comms before sending squads out to contain the damage going on in the city.

That she got paired with Slade's brat didn't sit well with the geomancer, but that wasn't the worst of her concerns. What bothered Terra was the way Raven was carrying herself, and how easily she snapped back at the femme fatale that was currently stalking ahead of her and Flash. She and the empath had gotten closer, since the whole betrayal issue had her being a double agent against Slade while posing as his mole. Time had healed those wounds, and with it, brought others that Terra found herself able to aid with. Jinx and Raven's relationship, though not something she could say she had experience with, was a point she could at least be an emotional support for Raven during. They'd grown closer for it, but that only meant there wasn't a gaping chasm between them now. Despite it, the withdrawn Titan still threw her sometimes, with her drastic changes in mood these days.

It seemed that the old Raven, perpetually calm, seemingly carved from stone was being chiseled away, leaving a more vulnerable, more real person. Thinning her lips in a scowl, Terra had to admit, though she was happy to see Raven expressing herself more, the timing couldn't be worse.

"You shouldn't frown, your face could stick like that," the speedster beside her quipped, pulling her from her internalization.

Rolling her eyes, Terra gritted her teeth and stalked up closer to the the silver ponytail swaying ahead. "I'm going to get Robin for this," she muttered, hoping briefly as they turned a corner into what seemed to be a worked stone chamber, that the rest of her team was OK. The stench of old blood and gore assaulted her nostrils, and for once she was glad Garfield wasn't there beside her. He'd turn a paler shade of green at a smell like this.

-end

A/N: Hand is nearly healed, so updates should happen more shortly.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: All DC characters are owned by their owners, none of which happen to be at this moment. Brant and Fee are mine. Some other people too. Not that you'd need them anyway.**_  
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_Warning: There is stuff here.__  
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_A process cannot be understood by stopping it. Understanding must move with the flow of the process, must join it and flow with it._

- The First Law of Mentat, quoted by Paul Atreides to Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam

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_**Act Four: Razors and the Dying Roses**_

**Chapter twenty one**

The disconcerting pop of air pressure changing against her ears let the Thief know she'd arrived from her hasty trip. Additionally, the sensation of air beneath her feet where wood and mortar should be. "Whoa, shit!" Skidding along a broken section of second-story floor, the Thief tucked into a roll to control her momentum. Catching herself from the fall, Jinx peered around at the decimation around her, shoes crunching on the wreckage of the HIVE dormitories. The afternoon light caught the dust from her movements, a faint haze permeating the area. The luminous dust only served to add to Jinx's feeling of the surreal, back in this place after only a few months.

She could imagine this as the HIVE would look in decades, left abandoned and empty. The fact it was only a few short months made it hard to grasp. Covering her nose and mouth from the dust, she made the slow way around, eyes taking in the devastation slowly, etching each loss in her mind. Only once did she disturb some of the wreckage, a familiar shade of blue cloth peeking from below a fallen support.

The sharp glint of white beneath warned her away.

Her past was here, dead and exposed. It's corpse laid out in the sun to bleach. Swallowing a bitter sigh, the feline made a determined path to where the training halls were. The largest underground access was in that area, and she wagered if there was any kind of large-scale activity here, they'd have one of the utility tunnels opened.

Jinx crouched low as she walked, eyes and ears open to any disturbances in the debris near her. It seemed odd, that if Blood, whichever one it was, held a compound here still, that he'd leave it unguarded. That impression faded quickly as she neared what was the gymnasium, and the glint of glass caught her eyes. Ducking suddenly, she listened to the utter silence and swore to herself. No birds, no insects – nothing. Evidence enough someone, something was nearby. Even in a ruin a week old, something would be there.

Creeping along the ground, taking cover as she could in the low-lying wreckage, Jinx made her slow way toward the glint that had caught her eye. The way was convoluted; she had to double around two fallen pillar supports and then retrace her path along the interior of one, but she came out of the debris, taking agonizingly slow steps as not to disturb loose mortar, right behind a guard.

She recognized the uniform, same HIVE soldier attire, yellow and black with the iconic insectoid helm. New was the crimson sash, something apparently new to this Blood's ideals. A cold spike of ice swept into her chest as she approached the man. He didn't carry himself like the other HIVE drones she was used to. Where before there was a determined cast and air about the drones, this one seemed listless, paranoid even. The glint of reflected light she had seen was the man's optics, the glass uncoated with the dulling agents they used to keep such mistakes from happening in her time.

Shaking her head slowly, the Thief analyzed the situation, deciding on a course. She had to get by the man, as he had a clear view of the pathway, but she didn't want to pointlessly harm him. "Hell he could be one of the HAEYP undergrads, that survived and just had to stay on," she worried, biting at a lip as she watched the drone in his post.

Minutes wore on as she agonized, unsure of the path to take. It was chance she noted one thing that seemed off about the man, her eyes narrowing as she took this in from a new angle. His shoes were too big, they kept getting uncomfortable, so he's kick a heel back to settle them in place. Same with the helmet and gloves. With a start, she made the connection and nearly gasped out loud, realizing that whoever was wearing that uniform wasn't a man so much as a boy.

Settling on a course of action, Jinx scaled the fallen pillar, watching the drone inspect a communicator briefly. He seemed intent on it, perhaps it held a clock she figured. Shift change could be happening soon, which could be a problem.

If she took down the guard now, when the shift changed his absence would be noted. If she waited until the shift change, it increased the chances of her being noticed.

Tossing caution to the wind, she focused her vision on a locker nearby and nudged it with her will, eyes flaring luminous for a moment. The hinge snapped as the door fell free, and the guard pounced on the area, scanning the surroundings nervously with his firearm swinging about wildly. Jinx almost felt bad for how easily he was taken down, kicking a large piece of dislodged mortar free and watching almost comically as it smashed into the drone's helmet, the man inside crumpling against a wall dazed from the impact. Falling down beside the drone, she took his firearm, a hefty and rather illegal machinegun, and inspected the damage. Removing the helmet, she winced, the large gash from the caved in metal of the thing apparent. Also apparent was the age of the drone – no more than fifteen she wagered.

Remembering who she was dealing with, Jinx peeled back an eyelid and restrained her gorge from rising. Bloodshot, almost to the point of capillary collapse. Daily 'indoctrination' at the hands of one like Blood, she remembered, would have the same effect. Gritting her teeth, the Thief made the youth as comfortable as she could, before pulling off the armor around his torso and arms. Ripping loose the communication module, she used the handheld comm's speaker to wire a spy channel for herself, tuning the device to listen in to the security channel the guards used. Tucking the tiny speaker into some torn cloth, she slid it uncomfortably into an ear, shaking her head furiously to check if it'd stay put. Finally she removed the tracking module the armor was equipped with, flinging it with the assistance of her power as far away as possible. She didn't want the shift change noticing the fallen drone too soon.

Slinging the machinegun across her back, the feline turned just in time to duck the butt of a rifle much like the one she was wearing, arcing toward her temple with crushing force. Jumping back, Jinx nearly skewered herself on exposed rebar before getting her bearings on her foe.

"You're new here I take it, so I'll be easy on you," she quipped, a mirthless grin stealing along her features as the drone leveled his own machinegun and snapped off the safety. Eyes widening as the HIVE drone stepped back and took aim, the Thief ducked low then launched herself in a full sprint at the uniformed man.

If her brazen approach had any effect, it was lost behind the mask, as the drone leveled the barrel toward her and started to pull the trigger. Jinx, trying desperately to avoid the noise gunfire would cause without even being inside the compound, snarled and spun a heel around, catching the end of the weapon with it and sending the thing spinning out of the drone's hands. Nonplussed, the helmet tracked her unerringly, the eerie silence of the uniformed agent grating on her nerves. "So, I take it the boss is still an ass, no matter if it's father or son. Figures," she smirked, noting the drone's reaction to this.

Loyalty, unerring, in hired help was a sure giveaway to brainwashing, Jinx had found in her years serving in the HAEYP and HIVE itself. It figured that the Bloods would always leave a little bit of their own arrogance, a seed of their own psyche in each victim. It made them easy to read, after all. Toss an insult at Blood around a brainwashed student or drone, and the reaction was amusing to say the least.

The drone's rushing charge was easy enough to dodge, cartwheeling to the side she landed behind his blind rush, and for the uniformed agent's trouble, she helped him into the pillar nearby. The satisfying crunch of the drone's helmet was loud in the afternoon haze, but not nearly so as gunfire would have been. Stripping the man the same way as the first, she hoped he'd not radioed ahead about any anomalies on a direct channels she'd have missed in her spying. Pocketing the drone's ammunition clips with a grin, Jinx surveyed the lowering sun and sighed. Time was growing short.

"I'm so going to take a nice long bath after this. Forget that shower business, I need to soak," the feline grumbled, making a hasty path to the yawning underground tunnel ahead of her. Fairly sure if anyone was there left on guard they'd be alerted by now, she crept down into the complex slowly, her grin growing below her glinting eyes as she went.

The tunnel opened up shortly, and with it the copper stink of blood. She always wondered why the old Headmaster, despite being named Blood never really seemed to have that as a motif. Sure he was violent enough, but the name seemed out of place. Turning a corner to see a still dripping and eviscerated corpse impaled on spike, the Thief supposed his son was making up for it in spades. Covering her nose from the smell, and partially to keep the recent drinks down, Jinx crept on, only seeing a single patrol along her way so far. "Either good help really is hard to find here, or this guy isn't the tactical powerhouse his dad was," she noted, back to a wall as a noise down the adjoining hall got her attention. "Considering the decorating scheme, I'll bet on the former."

Crouching to lessen her profile, she glanced quickly, taking note of two guards by a set of large ornate doors. Wincing, she again cursed herself for not coming prepared for this sort of thing. Still wearing her dress khakis from the meeting with Malone, she'd had issues with trying to stay hidden, but at least she'd not worn the heels to match the suit. Too much potential for irony, with those she figured.

The noise from the other side of the doors finally resolved itself to a rising chant, something that the Thief wasn't expecting here. To be honest, nothing she'd seen so far was as expected. She was used to the brainwashed drones, that was just Blood's style, but never in the numbers she was surmising were in the compound. Add on to that the amount of blood and gore just left about the tunnels, and it felt more like the lair of some demon or monster than a man.

"Have to be careful," she mused to herself, "If I go in guns blazing, then the whole place'll be up in arms in no time." Setting the bulky machinegun down, Jinx peered around the corner again, jerking back as the guards she'd seen were absent. Instinct told her to move, and she listened, growling as she strained into a backflip from a crouch.

The ground beneath where she'd been exploded into shrapnel from the gunfire of the two drones opening up where she'd been a moment before. Jinx wagered on the slower reactions of the brainwashed soldiers, and wasn't let down as they weren't able to track her quickly enough. Kicking off the wall above she dove into the first, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, throwing the unwary drone into it's partner. Not expecting the first to recover as quickly, she grimaced as the back of a gauntleted hand caught her in the temple, the blow dazing her and throwing the stunned girl into the wall.

Her vision cleared, but it wasn't Blood's compound that greeted her eyes. It was actually...

Not much of anywhere. Looking around frantically, the pink-haired girl panicked, thinking she had been taken captive, was being brainwashed or worse, was dead. Clenching her fist, she screamed but the sound was pulled away almost immediately. In it's place, when she opened her eyes was a familiar image.

"You can do better than this," The wavering outline said, resolving itself into a semblance of herself.

Looking away, Jinx nodded once, her mouth drawn into a tight line, "I know..."

"You just need to let go." The Other slowly took a step, it's black eyes glinting neon in the non-light of the place she was.

"I can't."

Blinking once, the Other stopped, a breath away. "Then we both die."

Gritting her teeth, Jinx glared at the image of herself, calmly accusing her of dooming them. "Who the fuck are you anyway?! Ever since I left the HIVE I've felt something was different, and we both know I'm not crazy, after all I'm not talking to myself now am I?!"

Grinning slightly, the image shook it's head, black horns making the gesture almost comical. "No, you're not. Who I am... something inside you. Something fundamental and waiting. Waiting for you to accept me."

"How can I accept you when I don't even know what you are?" Jinx pleaded, feeling lost and at a loss in this non-place. The light seemed to be uniform and diffuse, there was no feeling of falling or gravity and there wasn't even floor to speak of. The effect was disconcerting at best, absolutely maddening if she dwelled on it.

Her image cocked it's head and seemed to consider the question a moment, before sliding close enough to rest it's palm along Jinx's cheek. The Thief recoiled, instinct telling her what – whoever this Other was, there was something _wrong_ about it. "Does it matter so much? Even if you know, nothing will change. And Jinx...

"Once you hear what I am, you can't unhear it. You'll know, and in knowing, _you_ will change," gesturing around her the image smirked slightly, seeming to gather itself.

Jinx could feel things changing already. The air felt electric, charged, and to her eyes it felt like the horizon was darkening. "You're inside my head. Twice now things have gotten... inexplicable because of whatever you are. I worry at night that there's something wrong with me, people I've never met say shit I don't even understand about me, I've hurt Raven, worried Fee and feel... I don't even feel like myself anymore!" Tears welling up in her eyes, the feline screamed suddenly. "And now I'm in a limbo who knows where talking to a doppelganger with no sense of color!" Catching her breath, the bad luck charm glared at her mirror image and held it's gaze. "Just. Tell. Me."

The expression on her image's face could have been peaceful if it weren't for the glint in it's eye. "I'm the seed of Chaos, the fundamental force for change. I've been sleeping in you since Blood awoke your power. And soon, you will free me, become me, and we shall-"

"Ok, stop right there. Mkay?" Jinx rolled her eyes and looked at the image again, lip curled disdainfully. "First off; I don't plan on 'becoming' anything. I'm me. I'm staying me." Counting off the points on her fingers, the Thief went on, "Second, I'm not buying any oceanfront property in Arizona, alright? 'Seed of Chaos'... I learned about all this with Zatanna. I learned about the Fundamentals. You're probably some psychological manifestation of my anxiety over my changing powers, which I have to anthropomorphize to deal with."

"... do you even know what you just said?"

"Mostly."

"Listen Jinx. Whether you believe me or not, the truth isn't changing. You, like every thing, have that seed inside them. You just happen to be better euqipped and able to deal with it because your power is the fundametal aspect of Chaos. You force change, you incite entropy, you break down the order of things and make them your own." Pausing the image almost looked pleading, "Understand, that yes I am you. I'm part of you, that's been changed. That mirror showed you something horrible, something you never wanted to see. I woke up then, and when I did, it wasn't something you could contain, realize at the time.

"Yes, I am the shape of you, given an ideal and made 'real', at least in your mind. Your innate ability to change has given me the power to show myself in you, when things get too strong inside you to contain," pausing, the image seemed to draw in on itself slightly. "If things keep on as they are, if you keep breaking yourself over your father's realm, Raven's love and your own inner turmoils, we will die. And then all that will be left is me. That thing I will become, a power driven by the will of Chaos."

Staring, not really seeing at all, Jinx had to admit the Doppelganger's words made sense. Since the mirror, when she first saw this Other, things had been different. Her changing power had gone in so many directions, so quickly it was hard to keep up. Now she knew why. "So you're saying I'm doomed to be some avatar for a high power?"

"I wouldn't say doomed, as I'm that aspect in you given face. Doom for you means life for me."

Shaking her head slowly, Jinx sighed. "Doom for me still means the same thing. But why are you warning me of this? What's in it for you?"

The image seemed to pause, considering her words slowly. "The shadow that Chaos casts on the universe always seeks a body to express it's will. Mordu was the last. The shadow drove him mad," the image almost seemed sad at this admittance, but continued on, undaunted. "I am still you. If you were to lose yourself in this, even that part of me that is Jinx, that is speaking to you now will be overshadowed."

"You'd still be... I see." It was tangled, Jinx found, but it made sense. If all of her mind was broken by this shadow of Chaos, then even that voice that lived inside her, that was spawned by it would cease. Because Jinx wouldn't be there, to give it shape anymore. "Then, what can we do."

"Fight."

Casting her eyes from side to side, the Thief laughed once, "Um, isn't that a little simplistic?"

Her Doppleganger grinned, and it was odd to see another wearing her Cheshire smile. "Not when you have the arsenal you do, at your disposal."

She blinked as the image leaned in, and as she realized what was happening, the world turned black.

All except for a pair of neon pink eyes.

_I oOo I_

"Something isn't right about this," Raven mumbled, casting about the large room she'd walked into ahead of the rest of the group. It was an odd company, to say the least. Brant and Fee were there, the bodyguard looking fit to spit nails while Fee seemed to draw in on herself more with each passing moment. Shimmer and Mammoth seemed haunted, close behind Jinx's entourage, the phantoms of the HIVE's destruction evident in their eyes. Behind them, the new Titans ranged, Kid Flash scanning the walls with acute interest while Ravager slowly pivoted with each pause, the room seeming to shy away from her gaze. Terra brought up the rear, hand to the sometimes gore-smeared wall, eyes hazed slightly with her concentration as she did the work of reconnaissance, using her sense for earth to scan around them for any trouble.

Despite feeling Jinx not a moment before, not even far away, the Titan was unable to pick her up now. Something had happened, and she just faded from her senses. "Terra, anything?"

The geomancer shook her head, the goggles she kept down in place. "Nothing. There was a disturbance up aboveground by the door, but it was a cold sign. She'd headed down since. She passed this way but that's all I can find."

"Amateurs," Ravager sneered, shaking her head and unsheathing her katana with excessive deliberation. "I take it no one else smells the cordite? Gunfire. Close."

Too much was going on. Too much this year, this month this day. Raven rounded on Slade's daughter, eyes sheathing with ebon force as her words echoed around the room, "Drop it, if we're going to find anything, we need to work together. So either loose the attitude, Wilson, or crawl back to your father and back into a place we're used to seeing you – failing and being beaten."

"Don't you dare -" Ravager was cut short as she noted the attitudes around her changing. Even the HIVE and the would-be bodyguards were giving her angry stares, and despite her prowess, there was a time for confrontation and one for biding one's opportunities. Now was the latter. "Look, I know you and your little punk girl are close, but I wasn't sent here to help you, you know." Sheathing her sword, Ravager turned to the others she came with and glared at them, Flash turning away quickly while Terra simply ignored her silent imperative. "Fine! If you two won't back me up I'll say it myself. Robin sent us to get you, and go help with the city. Not fetch your errant girlfriend."

Raven smiled slightly, continuing on down the tunnel slowly. "Of course he did. He's Robin."

"If you know why he sent us why aren't we leaving? Why are we still here?" Refusing to move another step, she was moved out of Terra's way as the blonde shoved past her, blue eyes showing nothing as they met Ravager's own solitary one.

"For that same reason," was all Raven said. Terra moved up close to the empath, laying a hand on her shoulder, and giving it a light squeeze. The empath knew Robin needed her, but he also knew that this was important. He sent who he could spare, and admittedly, Flash and Terra could be great help elsewhere, but they were there to offset Wilson.

He'd expected the girl to balk, and she had. Faced with a larger group, she'd have to follow along, or leave alone. Raven knew that she'd get a talking to about not coming directly, but that it'd be a formality. The Titan's leader was also teaching Ravager something that likely her time with Slade had neglected.

Your teammates were your strength. You never abandon them. It was another reason why Terra was with them. She was the Titan's first and greatest struggle, with one of their own. By all rights, she should still be locked in stone, beneath the Tower, but they'd worked to free her. Because she was, despite Slade's manipulations and efforts, still a Titan.

Maybe the same could one day be said of Ravager.

Lip curling in annoyance, Ravager stalked after the group, wanting nothing more than to turn and return to the main group working in the city streets, but unwilling to neglect her duty to bring back Raven. She wouldn't fail at her first assignment. Following the speedster as he surveyed the surroundings, she kept her watch on Raven, not trusting anyone who worked off their emotions so much, after so much talk of restraining them.

Not a dozen steps further, and they found the source of the smell Ravager had picked up. There in the corridor were spent shells from what had to have been one of the machineguns the stunned drones leaning on the walls carried. Fanning out, the group noted the doors to a large chamber nearby, as well as the small trail of blood leading to it. Raven's brow furrowed, as she checked the soldiers, noting neither had an open wound. "She's injured. We need to hurry."

"Yes! Back out, we have to go!"

The group turned as one as Jinx burst out of those same doors, a bloom of red along her shoulder. Behind her they could hear the sound of running feet as well as the distant yells of a number of people. The Thief skidded to a stop before Raven, flashing her a brilliant smile before taking her hand and unceremoniously dashing back down the hall they'd just come. "Hurry up! It's a trap!"

Brant and Fee were the first to recover, the others following soon after as the empath and feline beat a hasty retreat back up the winding tunnel. "What's going on, what trap?" Raven managed, finally getting her bearings and taking flight beside Jinx.

"Blood's not here, just soldiers and that... thing! He's out with the Zealots I think, I don't know where," panting slightly, Jinx turned and waited for the bulk of the group to pass before swinging an arm at the cavern walls, arcs of energy blasting into the rock and unsettling it. "Terra! We need to close this tunnel, we don't want what's in there out here!"

Nodding a quick affirmative, the blonde raised a hand and dropped it suddenly, the roof of the tunnel following the motion obiediently. To make sure, Jinx peppered the fallen stone with hexes, just to foul up anyone who would try to dig through.

"What thing? What do you mean?" Wilson asked, pulling up alongside Raven and the Thief, staring back down at the collapsed tunnel as a horrible sound, like the whole of a zoo was trapped at the bottom of a well echoed through even the tons of rock there. Shaking her head, Jinx started back up the tunnel, skidding to a halt as a dozen or more drones stepped out of the shadows in the wider room ahead, all bearing down on their group.

Raven snarled and ripped rocks from the walls, Terra taking control of them as the rag-tag group got ready to defend itself. Pointing ahead as her power sheathed her in black force, the cloaked half demon let them know precisely what their next task was.

"Titans, Attack!"

_I Residential San Francisco I_

Robin sent another Zealot wailing and flailing down the street as she jumped at him, wincing as his bo nearly broke bones. The crazed people, all wearing some kind of robe with a crimson sash, just kept coming. "Cy, clear us a path! Star, find whoever is commanding this, we need to take them out," supressing a worried glance to the sky for the Tamaranian, the young Detective focused on the task at hand.

Keeping the Zealots away from the innocents of the residential zone, as they swarmed the streets.

Beside him, Garfield was swatting and restraining as many people as he could, using a gorilla's massive strength to batter and grapple the press of madness. Robin used the opening to swing his staff in a wide throw, following it with a bolo and some flash-bangs to stave off the next wave, stunning tripping and fouling up their advance. Across the city, he hoped the recruits were having it easier than his squad.

A lucky shotgun blast caught Cyborg in the chest, not getting past his armor but the force sat him back on his rear some distance back, opening up Robin's flank for attack. Taking a chance, the masked youth closed on the metal Teen's last position, opening the gap between himself and Garfield, hoping the changeling could manage with more openings to defend.

Beast Boy barely flinched as the mob got more hits in, those nearest to him using bats and discarded boards to pummel him. His greater bulk and strength let him soak some of the damage, but the thing that worried him was size – he wasn't big enough to close down their advance around him, and keep those nearby from taking pot-shots at Robin. Figuring it was time to up the ante, he shifted again, this time adding some psychological horror to the mix.

Zealots stopped dead and turned back suddenly, giving Robin the time he needed to take out the few combatants nearest to him. It wasn't long before his area was clear, the streets ahead in chaos from Beast Boy's Tyrannosaur guise. Roaring down an alley that was blatantly an ambush, people fairly poured out as the sound literally knocked dozens off their feet.

Robin had seen hardened criminals and inhuman foes got one-for-one with the changeling in that form, but for the common man, it was like flipping a switch in that primal fear section of the brain. Droves turned their backs to the Titans, crawling, bowling over and generally disrupting the slow march the Zealots had been holding as they advanced. Trying not to laugh at the sudden turn in force, Robin checked his Comm, trying to figure out how Starfire was faring in locating the source of this insanity.

The Tamaranian had flown high, avoiding the odd shot fired her way as she surveyed the throngs below, searching for the leader. Chaos soon erupted below, as she spotted the huge green dinosaur form of Beast Boy advancing and breaking the Zealot's march. Turning her attention to the streets ahead again, she barely had time to roll into a dive, avoiding some rocket propelled grenades launched her way from below. Screaming out a native warcry, she folded herself into a dive and began showering the area that fired them with starbolts, seeing that the press parted there to allow heavier weapons to be used.

After a strafing pass, she looked back and blasted two more of the rockets down, flipping open her Comm in a moment to warn Robin of the weapons. She was just finishing her report when a new noise reached her ears, one she wasn't familiar with.

Chanting.

Hovering in place, she noticed the sound starting near the back of the advancing group, quickly moving along the assembled till the entirety of the Zealot forces were taking up the faint cry.

Dipping lower, but still on guard for more aerial attacks, she tried to hear precisely what the crazed people were saying. The sound that reached her ears, finally resolving itself to words, drained the color from her face.

_"Essia Trigon Immortium. Essia Imperous Skath."_

She knew enough to Raven's meditations and history to understand the broken words below her. "For Trigon the Immortal. For the empire of Skath". The initial shock of the word's meaning had barely faded before a second struck her; The Church of Blood worshiped Trigon. Raven was in the heart of Blood's compound, searching for Jinx. Gritting her teeth, the Tamaranian stopped pulling punches, and raked the throngs below her with starbolts and her optic blasts, sending dozens diving to the sides to avoid the fate of those less lucky.

Robin's ground team noticed the chant rising at about the same time they saw Starfire go on a sudden offensive, the masked Detective setting his mouth in a thin line at the implications. Starfire was injuring civilians. These civilians were worshiping the thing that caused Raven to fear for her life. He snapped his bo into the next mindless zombie rushing forward, the loud crack of snapping bone garnering him curious looks from both his partners. "Stop playing nice guys. Time to get serious."

On the far side of the city, near the financial district, a more concerted war was playing out. Kara, more often known as Supergirl, swooped down to survey the street as another blast rocked the area, loosing mortar and brick in a harardous rain. She'd strapped the T-Comm to her wrist to try and keep an eye open for any hint of the madman destroying the town, but so far nothing. Checking the wrist-based device again, she missed the arc of an uprooted light post, aiming for her head.

The blow took her from the sky, sending the blonde Kryptonian skidding and flailing into the street. Finally stopping, her own momentum driving her tumble, Supergirl glared about her for some sign of the thing that hit her. Her Comm beeped, letting her know another on her squad had made contact, this time Argent nearly three blocks away. "Can't be right. How can they be so fast?" She took to the air again, peering at the Comm and tracking the small blips that were her responsibility. Robin and the Tower computer both agreed that whoever was out here making a mess, it was a single entity, but with the distance between events...

Speedy wasn't a fool, and not easily fooled. He'd seen the layout of the damage in the area, and the time of each event. There was a pattern, but he'd be damned if it seemed a single person could be responsible. Still, it seemed his luck and deduction were paying off – there was someone, flying slowly down the street.

Someone not on his team. Taking aim with a netting arrow, the new Titan marksman let the bolt fly, but didn't let himself linger.

As expected, the net simply passed through the image, as it faded abruptly. Speedy dived to the side as his recent perch exploded upward, shrapnel and debris shooting upward with killing force. Rolling to a stop with his bow already nocked with another arrow, the masked Teen surveyed the area with quiet regard.

_There._

A faint touch against his mind, something he'd come to recognize in all his training with the League, alerted him to the psychic presence finding his position again. He barely rolled free this time as steel rebar erupted from the building and tried to grasp at him, a deadly claw where he'd been. He took a moment to click the small button on his Comm, clipped to a belt to let his squad know he had contact.

The next blast, capitalizing on his moment of lost focus, nearly cost him an arm.

Supergirl barely shielded him from the exploding window, her cape flung out to deflect the flying glass. "Seems whoever this is, doesn't like you much."

"Yeah, maybe they hated all those Mel Brooks Robin Hood remakes," grinning slightly, the youth jumped from his building perch and landed along a lower platform, still running. He had a hunch, a longshot in mind, but considering their foe's power it was worth exploring.

Lifting his Comm, he inexpertly pulled one of his rarer arrows to bear, not bothering to use his bow. Rather he just jammed the arrowhead directly in the rooftop, briefly tracking the blonde Supergirl as she scouted the area from the air.

Waves of bioelectric feedback washed over him, something he hoped would clear his sight of-

A man laying in a net on the ground, struggling from the earlier arrow net. Speedy grinned suddenly, as Argent arrived, slapping four gleaming walls around the struggling man. Apparently he couldn't keep his illusion up constantly, with so many targets.

Smirking slightly, he checked on the condition of the rest of his squad. Argent was finishing her 'shoebox', as she called it, while Supergirl was inspecting the local area for lingering damage that may hamper rescue teams. Speedy noted that Megan and Hotspot, not the most compatible pair, were in constant contact, evacuating people from different sectors. He figured they kept the contact up to avoid accidentaly bumping into one another.

His smile staying quite firmly planted, he twirled his bow and set it back along a shoulder, finding a fire excape to take to street level. "Knew I didn't miss," he mumbled, laughing quietly to himself.

Argent was struggling with the man inside her impromptu cell, the solid energy barely containing his rage. "Guys, we need to do something, this isn't going to hold."

Speedy and Supergirl looked to one another a moment then nodded. "What is his thing, I caught illusions but that can't be all. This damage is real," the masked Titan asked, setting his bow to the ready despite the man's condition.

"At best guess, I could say telekinesis. Maybe psychic power with what you said about illusions."

"Guys..." the gothic clothed Teen whined, a sheen of sweat appearing along her forehead.

Nodding dismissively at the girl, Kara turned back to Speedy, checking her Comm for information. "There's no holding facility nearby, can we debilitate him?"

The archer shrugged, trying to get a look at the man beyond Argent's containment. "Not sure, don't even know if it's human."

"Guys!" Argent blurted again, a hand going to her temple slowly, "can't keep this up, he's fighting too hard."

Alarmed the other two got within a yard of the dark haired girl before the silvery box of force seemed to bow outward-

And the entire block wavered as a blast of telekinesis shook the area like a ragdoll. The newest Titans didn't have a chance to recover or find cover, being at point blank range of the blast. Argent was out cold, already falling when her field went down, and Supergirl was in the fateful position to take the bulk of the blast, between the enraged psychic and Speedy.

Not bothering to spare the superpowered brats a chance to wake and regroup, Psimon figured the best plan of attack was the most direct.

So he topped a few buldings on top of the hapless fools.

"You won't stop me," the ex-scientist raged, his mind a whirl of destructive potential. The thougths of the citizens nearby were like candles in the dark to him, each one calling out to him, a lighthouse beacon among the gloom. Grinning mirthlessly, he took flight again, bending his mind around those brief flames, snuffing them out as he stripped them of anything resembling value.

Psimon flew on, doing the will of his lord.

Minutes past, and finally an agonized cry broke the silence that reigned over the wreckage from the battle. Argent pulled herself free, silver energy arcing around her body as the protective armor it offered her faltered and faded. Gasping, she pulled the other two Titans out behind her and collapsed, Speedy and Supergirl falling down beside the exhausted goth.

Checking for his T-Comm, the marksman swore and winced, a sharp pain alerting him to some broken ribs. He also found his Comm to be in less than servicable shape. "Hey, is your Comm..." he trailed off as the blonde shook her head, the wrist she'd attached the small device to help up and bare. "Damnit."

"I should... go warn the others," the Kryptonian murmured, her voice distant. Looking to the sky, she rose and faltered, shaking off the last of the impact's dizziness. Speedy bent to check over their savior, the black haired girl still unconscious from her efforts. Shaking his head, he hoped Supergirl could get help soon, Argent wasn't looking better as time past.

Near the residential zone, Robin backed away from the fighting to check the insistant beeping of his Comm. Unknown to many of the new recruits, each unit was set to passively transmit a carrier signal, a simple thing really, but the result was that if any one were to drop off the network, the Tower computer would alert him to a possible attack or problem. Brow furrowed, the masked Teen noted that both Speedy and Supergirl's Comms were offline, and Argent's was showing inoperative / no transmission operation. "Not good," he muttered quietly, opening a channel to the other two new Teens on that squad.

"Hotspot, Megan, report." Turning to watch the progress of his own squad, Robin noted that the veritable army of Zealots was being repelled easily.

"Megan here, evacuation proceeding," the young Martian called back, noise of crowds behind her.

Hotspot chimed in soon after, "Same here, no problems."

Robin's brow furrowed, and he weighed the options. He needed to get those people away from the heavy damage zone, caused by whatever took out Speedy's group. He also needed to make sure that those same Titans were alright. Sighing, feeling the weight of too many decisions, he keyed open their two channels. "Regroup, Megan I need you to locate and extract Speedy's team, we lost their signal at these coordinates," keying in the last known true signal from their Comms, he continued. "If they're alright, have them drop recon and work on evactuation. Hotspot, you pull out and find Raven's team. We need them out here. Do whatever you can to make this happen," glaring over his shoulder, the young Detective hurled some explosive payload discs into a mob that was threatening to flank Beast Boy, earning him a few more moments.

"Additional note. Church of Blood is to be handled with extreme predjudice. Use neccesary force. Robin out." Glaring out of his mask at the mass of crazed followers thronging the streets, Robin ran ahead and rejoined the fray.

Cyborg was firing his cannon in arcs, the setting apparently on a spread to disrupt and push back the masses. "How are the others?"

Robin shook his head slowly, assessing the moment. "Not good. We need to wrap this up."

Beast Boy nodded once, speedshifting from his forms and back based on the need for the moment. He'd found that the Zealots weren't stupid; they'd fire rockets and grenades at him if he stayed a large target too long. Deciding that 'hand' to hand was the best tactic, and speed his primary ally, the changeling was sticking to mostly large predators, but occasionally shifting to something with some heavy power for tight moments. After raking one Zealot down with a velociraptor's talons, he'd turned and crushed the armor of another in a crocodile's jaw, ripping it free.

The Titan's leader watched with grim attention, knowing that after this battle his friend would need some time to come to grips with the ferocity he was showing. Cyborg too, wasn't used to acting as riot police, any more than Robin. Only his time in Gotham spared the young man the horror of dealing such heavy blows to seemingly normal citizens. Crazed though they may be.

_I oOo I_

Being caught in a dead end of their own making, and pinned down like fish in a barrel wasn't Raven's ideal tactical standpoint. "Close groups, behind the shields!" She called, willing as much power as she felt available into making two heavy fields of force on either side of the tunnel, offering cover for her team.

Taking her queue, Terra reinforced their position, as well as the tunnel, pulling stone like water to form a bottleneck they could defend easier ahead of them. Raven dropped her shields and went on the offensive, diffusing her power like a thick haze before their position, catching bullets and flinging them back at the drones. Sparing a look to their condition, the Titan grimaced, not realizing how close they'd come to being in much worse shape.

Jinx was getting her shoulder bound by Fee, who was physically keeping her in check. Brant was trading fire with the drones, using the machinegun the bad luck charm had appeared with, alongside Shimmer, who was returning with a pistol. Though they were outmatched in firepower, defensively they had an edge.

Crouched by the earthworks, Ravager yelled to take cover, a small metal orb rolling down the corridor. Raven gasped, realizing their own defenses would mean little if they started hurling grenades into their limited location. "Get back!" Refocusing her will, Raven engulfed the thing, not trusting her timing to let her throw it back. Wincing and faltering, the grenade detonated, but the blast was absorbed by her cloak of darkness, at a cost.

Mammoth noticed it first, calling to someone to catch the empath as she fell. Flash was there, lowering her to the ground slowly, the dazed half-demon barely able to hold on to an offered hand. Ravager had pulled her own weapons and was trading meager fire to the careful soldiers when her ears caught the sound of another grenade being tossed their way. Swearing about being caught in a lobster trap, the girl stepped out and chanced her armor could take some glancing blows, the grenade too much of a current threat.

Hauling back a high boot, she punted the grenade back up the tunnel.

Brant stood wide-eyed while a few shots glanced off her blue scaled armor, the kick sending the explosive high and on target. The moment, seemingly slowed agonizingly as the small metal orb bounced off the wall behind the drones, before the flash of detonation nearly sent them all to their knees.

Not taking this stroke of luck for granted, the bodyguard dashed out in the smoke and dust, beside an equally minded Mammoth. The two hulking men made fast work of the remaining drones, as the rest pulled out of their postion and assesed the damage.

Ravager had taken one solid hit to the side, a wound she wouldn't let be tended and that was bleeding a bit too fast for anyone's taste. Jinx's shoulder was bound, but it wasn't the injury that had her preoccupied. Raven was still dazed, her mind yet to recover from the hasty containment of the high explosive grenade. Jinx kept by her side, as Fee kept her upright in turn. Few others had injuries to mention, scrapes and grazes aside.

As they turned the corner, the sound of dozens of boots down the corridor they were headed to warned them again of a firefight. "Damnit, where are they coming from?" Terra swore, preemptively narrowing the stone corridor ahead of them, but getting an idea as she did so. "Stick close, I think we can do this. Keep cover on that gap."

The pinching, bottlenecking of the tunnel flowed forward, a wave along the tunnel walls. Terra was sweating, trying to keep not only their cover intact, but also the tunnel itself. All the earth moving was taxing her already panic-stricken reserves. "Someone else do something, I can't keep this up all night!" she shrieked, feeling that ever-present curl of power in her chest expand, looking for purchase.

She didn't need a volcano showing up in the middle of this. Either she had to let the barricade stand, or finish this soon, much more and she'd start loosing control.

The few on their side with guns traded fire with what seemed like an entire tunnel full of drones. Flash wasn't able to move in the firefight, wary that some friendly or not so friendly fire would end up clipping him mid run. True, he could easily dodge bullets, but in these quantities... he'd never tried such a thing. Unsure of what else to do, he gritted his teeth and took a chance, dashing out and down the tunnel.

Shimmer noticed his absence first, calling for the others to hold fire, all but Ravager doing so. Rose simply sneered at the girl and took a shot at a drone, shattering it's optics with her hit. "I don't miss, stop your bawling."

Flash head the exchange and grinned slightly, not wanting to be the one to let Ravager know that shot had grazed his shoulder. The speedster took down three drones, noting there were twenty one in total with some apprehension, turning their fire into one another before things got too hot and he had to retreat, running out of dodging room in the small corridor. Being the only one facing back they way they'd come, he was also the first to see the... thing coming up the tunnel behind them.

"Ohmygod LOOK OUT!"

Gunfire masked the sound of the behemoth bearing down on them, Jinx being the only one, other than Kid Flash, to have seen the beast. Struggling to her feet, the Thief stood her ground, glaring down the tunnel at the almost familiar figure practicall flowing up from below them. "Plasmus." Barely recognizable, the amorphous beast had been obviously subjected to Blood's hospitality. His eyes, as they were, were bloodied and crimson, while his body seemed to be laced with jagged bone.

Mammoth turned at Jinx's low mutter, eyes widening at what he saw. "What the hell did Blood do to the poor fool?"

Jinx shook her head slowly, trying to think of some way to get everyone out of this in one peiece. She had to – it was her fault they were here. "I saw him earlier when I was... dealing with something. He hadn't spotted me yet, but the guards coming had pulled him along with." Looking ahead and down, she grinned, the gesture feral around the grime on her face. "Shimmer, flood the tunnel."

Gaping at the former HIVE operative, she hesitated before Mammoth nodded in her direction slowly. "It's the best way, can you do it Sis?"

Not sure she could transmute enough material to accurately flood the passage, she none the less moved to the back and spared the oozing behemoth bearing down on them with some anxiety. "Here goes..."

Terra took one look at what Shimmer was about, before slamming her hands into the ground, reinforcing the tunnel quickly before the sudden loss of mass could collapse the thing on their heads. For her part, Shimmer had forgotten one key thing about the states of matter.

Rock was very dense, but fluids lost some of that density when they were released from solid form. Rearranging molecular components yielded three times the mass in water that she was transmuting.

And she'd just flatlined her reserves into doing so.

Jinx estimated there was about three tons of water, suddenly pitching down onto Plasmus below, but not wanting to take a chance she hazarded her own addition. Hexing the walls the water passed, it picked up debris, rock and rubble from loosened supports, dredging up more like an avalanche. By the time the flow had hit Plasmus, there was enough debris in the water to have doubled it's volume easily.

The rushing flood hit the monstrosity square, and when the torrent had passed, there was no sign of Plasmus. "I don't believe that took him out, so we better handle the more mundane problems, and fast." Glaring up the tunnel, Jinx sighed and flexed her fingers. Beside her, Raven stood unsteadily where she'd been regaining her wits, eyes darkening almost immediately as the Titan's emotions took to the fore. She'd forgotten something, and the realization came with her worry for the candyfloss haired bedlamite before her.

She was worried. She was _feeling_, and it wasn't backfiring on her.

Noting the Titan's suddenly shifting gaze, Jinx's own eyes widened. "Morning Sunshine, feeling better?"

Beneath her cowl, Raven smiled, her teeth growing sharp and jagged in the half light. Four grey eyes winked from under the hood, giving the Thief pause before the familiar, warm touch of Raven's mind caressed her own. "I'm fine, love. Just... letting loose a bit."

Mammoth and the others drew back slightly, even Fee shivering at the sound of her voice. Gone were the silibant tones she usualy held, the slight hoarseness of her voice. Raven spoke, and it was like nightmares sliding along one's ears.

Jinx grinned, her Cheshire smile lighting the tunnel. "Let loose all over them, but save some for me later – those teeth look... intruiging." Cackling as her own power surged, carried on by Raven's sudden burst of strength, the two charged ahead, directly into the hail of bullets that begain again with the halt of Plasmus' charge. Behind them, the rag-tag group stood stunned, not expecting the winded duo to be so reckless.

Raven laughed, and the air went still. Bullets fell agasint the ground, even as they left the muzzles that fired them, while Jinx danced like Kali among their ranks, each time her hands touched someone or something, arcs of energy would blast them against a wall. The dark Titan flowed under a strike, as if the man were swinging at his own shadow. Unlike such a benign thing, Raven struck out with a lash of force that bent the man in half and sent him into his fellows, bowling them over easily.

Raven took the offensive, a shield of black springing to life each time a bullet neared her. Jinx was simply ecstatic, able to cut loose and really do something for a change. "I've been going about things all wrong," she chanted, timing each word to a strike, block or parry. "Holed up in my home, should have been out, on the streets." Focusing, she balled her fists and struck out, the impact flashing neon as her hexes became weapons of themselves. Grinning death on the few drones brave enough to face her, the girl fed her power, gave it all the frustration and worry and love for the nightmare fighting beside her. It answered, and her hands were instuments of the wheel of change itself.

Drones rushed in, and she whipped her feet around, spinning forward on her own axis, a blur of pink and black as her hex-laced fists decimated the charge. Arcing off her hands and arms like blades, the energy licked at the wall beside her, lighting her face incandescent in the carnage. "Who's next?" she asked with a lilt, as drones looked from one hellish girl to the other.

Loosing herself in the moment more and more, Raven's nature manifested further with each passing second. Below the cloak she was indistinguishable from the darkness, hands and feet simply flashing into existance or out as needed. She hardly needed them. A shadow had no need to stand, it simply was. Around her, the darkness flickered and flowed, as each time she deflected gunfire something more inside her gave. Unlike the other times, when she'd lost herself in rage or fear, this was a controlled, willed thing. She wanted to be powerful, to protect Jinx. Because of Jinx, she could be powerful.

Thanking Azar for her good fortune, Raven tapped completely into the demon within her, as the last dozen drones closed in. Grey eyes flared crimson, slashes glowing within her cowl as even the tattoos along her skin seemed to light from within. Shadows licked and curled away from her cloak and crawled free, Darklings scampering forth to serve their mistress.

Four red eyes directed those nightmares, as legion they consumed the force that suddenly found itself outnumbered. Down in the tunnel, the group watched wide-eyed as Raven seemed to explode into a host of beasts, each marked with four wicked eyes, all clawing and grasping for the drones she faced. Terra stood transfixed, remembering tales of those few times the dark girl had been in the throes of her emotions, but not prepared at all for what she was seeing.

She almost pitied the drones, as they were pulled down by sheer force of numbers, and to her horror, drawn back it the cloak Raven bore.

Jinx watched with rapt fascination, the girl she knew – soft, perfumed skin, gentle eyes and a voice that felt like it purred, became a true nightmare, something she could scarce understand. As she watched, the horde of skittering, snarling darkness lept on a fallen drone, dragging it bodily within the cloak. All the while, Raven's smile was a wicked slash in the hood, below the four burning eyes, leaking off power in brief tendrils as she moved and shifted.

A brave drone opened fire on her at less than a yard away and Jinx reached, knowing her hex wouldn't make it in time. A moment later she laughed, shaking her head as the Titan shimmered in place, the bullets seeming to pass into her without effect, only to a moment later lash back out at the hapless drone, mowed down by his own fire. Not wanting to be upstaged, regardless of the show, Jinx smirked and lept into the fray again, hexes shaping themselve to wicked claws as she flipped and turned. Lashing one drone, the soldier fell back and was consumed by a Darkling, even as Jinx swept a foot across another's knee, sending it prone to be massed by more of the same. Each step, she swong and braced, swept and danced in and around the graceless fools, her hexes ripping and blasting them in a visual cacaphony that Raven was greedily, tidily cleaning up. Not one strike touched her, as almost instantly an arc of energy lashed out, even on her blind side, and upset the attacker. It was like swinging at a feather, impossible.

She found the fact that she was literally feeding these brainwashed and braindead zombies to her girlfriend a little amusing.

As suddenly as they joined the fray, it ended, and the two looked to one another for long moments, the truth of their fighting shockingly clear to one another.

Raven stood, if that could be said, hardly a face within her cowl, her eyes paling back to a heated pale. As she calmed, the legion of her soul retreated, slinking back into the welcoming darkness of her cloak. Her tattoos were fading, going quiet as she herself seemed to dimish, the ebon tendrils of her cloak and the skittering, crawling mass absorbing itself back into her sheltering shadow. Jinx, in her own way was nearly as frightening. The dust in the air seemed to simply avoid her, as neon arcs of power shot about her frame, even the debris falling from the ceiling being thrown away. Those same arcs lit her face and skin briefly, giving her skin an unearthly cast. Along each hand was a fiercely shimmering spike of her hex's power, a nearly physical weapon she had put to deadly effect. Her eyes faintly glowed, the bright hue of them only intensified, as her pupils, slit and catlike, reflected all ambient light.

They were snapped from their shared introspection as Fee came forward, oddly moving first to Raven. Laying a hand on the Titan's shoulder, the succubus ducked low and looked into the darkness of the cloak, her expression inscrutible. Jinx's brow quirked as the demoness reached out, and to her surprise, pulled Raven's hood back from her face.

The light arcing from Jinx lit her face, highlighting Raven's violet irises. Eyes narrowed slightly from the glare, the half-demon looked from her lover to Fee, her demon's eyes still evident. The others watched as the girl's face was revealed, no longer in the dark confines of the cloak. A slight smile was along her features, alien as they were. Jinx moved beside Fee, watching the succubus's face as the blonde girl seemed enraptured by the Titan.

"You... really are his daughter." Shaking off her initial shock, the demoness drew back, shaking her head slowly. "Wh-Why, why you?" Looking from Jinx to the Titan again, she shook her head hard, drawing back further. "He's here, you know. He's looking for you, working through them," pointing along the ground she shook again, her eyes closed hard, a pained look on her features.

The dark Titan looked to the ground, the broken drones and scattered debris. A sound like rending metal brought her attention back to the demoness, her eyes widening.

Fee recoiled, slamming into the wall solidly as the others drew closer, the initial battle won. It was the succubus's cry that stalled them, a few paces from the three. Jinx looked on, not sure what to make of the scene unfolding before them. Her friend was struggling, holding her head and shaking, in the grip of something she didn't understand. The Thief kneeled by her and reached out, as the girl leaned into her, sobbing quietly.

"Fee, are you alright," voice laced with worry, Jinx ran a hand along the blonde's back, as she regained her composure slowly. Looking up to her girlfriend, she shook her head at the Titan's questioning expression, not sure at all why she'd reacted so strongly to her appearance.

A cold hand closed around Raven's heart at Fee's words. She knew something more was up, something dangerous and it revolved around Fee and her father. Stepping back further, not wanting to excite the demoness more, the Titan tried to piece together the puzzle that was presenting itself all around her. Fee's reaction, Blood's compound, the Zealots, whatever madman was destroying the financial sector, her father... it all came together somehow, but the pattern wasn't showing itself.

Not yet. Looking to the succubus barely able to hold herself while Jinx held her, Raven felt those icy fingers again.

"I see you've made yourselves at home. Sadly you were uninvited." Mammoth turned, to look down the hallway where they'd just come from, the floor a ruin from Shimmer's power. Red eyes met his before his world went black.

-end

A/N: Momentum. Do you have it?


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: All DC characters are owned by their owners, none of which happen to be at this moment. Brant and Fee are mine. Some other people too. Not that you'd need them anyway.**

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_Warning: There is stuff here.__  
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**_In the beginning, awaited the seed of the end. _**  
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Act Five: Dance of the Damned**_

**Chapter twenty two**

The second thing Jinx noticed was Shimmer screaming. The first thing, she wished she could forget. It'd been some time since she and Mammoth has sparred, and the larger man had always pulled his punches. Apparently, she never really appreciated that fact enough. The cavern wall slamming against her back afterward was a good reminder to be thankful for the small things, when she could see strait again.

Ravager looked from Jinx's slumping form to the preposterously dressed youth striding slowly up the tunnel they'd just flooded, then back to the the rampaging form of the enormous man named Mammoth before setting on a task. "Terra, try and minimize the damage, Flash, with me,"she yelled over the din, turning to the unknown behind them.

Things had been normal till he showed up. Therefore, he was the issue.

Kid Flash turned and saw what Wilson was about, cursing again the cramped quarters. Speeding ahead of her, he borrowed a page from a recent fighting game that had been popular and leapt into a flying kick from a dozen yards away.

Normally, such a thing would never connect, but he happened to have sped up to around 200 miles per hour before launching himself. With a satisfying crack the youth he impacted flew backwards, slamming into a wall hard enough to rain stone and dust down into the tunnel.

Shimmer watched in horror as her brother attacked those near him, Jinx the first to fall to his surprise attack. She'd seen the lingering glow of red in his eyes and knew that the person behind them was the new Brother Blood. Her fear of that man and his power was almost the rival to her worry for her brother, snared by that same talent. "Don't hurt him! He's under Blood's control!"

"Lady, I'm trying but he's not really cooperating much," Terra snarled, her already waning reserves getting dangerously low as she pulled stone pillar after pillar up to deflect the man's brutal strength. Raven joined her shortly, as Jinx stood and shook off the hit she'd taken.

Black spheres encased the man's hands, slowing his punches and sapping his strength, every movement a fight to simply budge them. The strain on Raven was minimal, but her attention being split so many ways was telling. Trying to look behind them at the state of Ravager and Flash, she slipped and one of Mammoth's fists whistled dangerously close to her head. "Easy big guy, I think we need to get you some air...

"Everyone, regroup!" Hoping her gambit would work, Raven started unfolding her essence along the floor, letting it seep around through cracks and contours there silently. Soon, everyone nearby was in it's range, but Ravager and Flash were taking too long to return. "Faster Wilson; West! Now!"

The two broke off and returned then, an unphased Blood following slowly after, unhurried. "Now where do you think you're going?" He asked, his voice slithering between his lips and making Raven wince. Something familiar was there, she just had no intention of figuring it out this time.

The moment the two rear guard were in place, she dropped her hold on Mammoth, the man stumbling forward suddenly at the release of his bonds. Terra took over then, encasing his hands in the same rock he fell on, holding him for the precious moments Raven needed-

Cold swept over them all, as nothing itself swallowed them, leaving a momentarily stunned Brother Blood in their wake.

She'd chanced to take them as far as the Tower, but that seemed too precarious, with Mammoth under uncertain conditions. Deciding instead to fix on a location Ravager had been preoccupied with, Raven unfolded the motley team some hundred yards behind Robin's position in the residential sector.

"Robin!" Kid Flash called, pulling their leader's attention to the motley team that materialized behind them. Turning he found a curious sight, but not one he was surprised by. Signaling Cyborg and Beast Boy to hold the line, he turned to the errant group, pulling out his Comm to recall Starfire as well. Running to bridge the distance, he took in the scene with a slight smile.

Mammoth was shaking off something, a girl he didn't immediately recognize kneeling by his side and looking up into his face worriedly. Kid Flash and Ravager were looking around confused, while Jinx leaned against Raven, a bandage around her shoulder leaking through slightly. A familiar man, large and muscularly framed under his rather conservative suit stood nearby a stunning blonde, who seemed either to be in shock or dazed, wavering slightly with her eyes shut. Terra looked up at the sky overhead and smiled faintly, before fainting away.

"Hotspot, regroup to my position, sorry to send you on a lark," Robin keyed to his Comm, still coordinating the many teams as he took in the state of the crew before him.

"Roger boss, just getting some more flight time in," the flame-wielder smirked, before signing off. Robin was quietly glad of his humor – so much was going sideways here that any chance at some lightening of the mood was welcome. Looking back to his errant teammates, he took stock and sighed. Almost all of them were in bad shape, and he needed to get a few to the medical bays in the Tower. "Who's able to relieve Cy and Gar, they've been hammering on crazies for an hour, and we need to pull back and strike at the command, rather than trying to plow through."

Ravager stood forward immediately, as did Flash, the large man he recognized as the bodyguard from the other week looking around then shaking his head. Raven looked up and around her, shaking her head slowly, shifting her power to heal those around her. Picking out Wilson and Flash, Robin waved them on, while motioning for the the bodyguard closer, meaning to figure out who he was. It was the eyes that clued him in, and looking back to Jinx he made the connection, "You're Brant, right?"

Nodding, the man stayed silent, turning so he could keep the pink-haired girl in his line of sight.

Bothered by the number of variables, Robin swore to himself but was happy there weren't any other surprises immediately. As he was taking stock of their resources, the local authorities moved up behind them, closing on the rear line of the offensive. Moving to converse with their captain, the Titan found it wasn't just police, but National Guardsmen that were in force this time. "Good to see you guys, we're kinda outnumbered."

"Surprised you held it as long as you did, we'll take over this part. Any word on the crazy out in the financial district?" the captain asked, waving his people forward, riot shields and batons at the ready against the crazed mob ahead of them.

Shaking his head slowly, Robin sighed, "We have people down, but we'll get to it soon. Seems like the town is going to hell... recently..." Snapping his head around, the young Detective looked at Raven sharply, gritting his teeth.

"Raven, can we get everyone to the Tower in about ten minutes, I think something serious is up," Robin called, walking away from the motorcade and riot geared forces marching to meet the Zealots directly.

Looking up from the injured, she seemed to consider before nodding. "I'll ah... need to take Jinx with me. Tapping too much power, I need her to bleed off some of my emotions to draw on my powers so much," she noted, looking away briefly. Robin made a note to ask her about this, but simply nodded for now. Things weren't going to get prettier anytime soon he felt, so anything at all that could give them an edge was welcome.

"Do it, we need to get out of here and regroup." Turning he pulled out the increasingly present Comm and keyed for the Tower itself. "Robin to base, who's on watch?"

"That'd be me, Fearless," Superboy chimed, leaning forward so Robin could see him. "What's up?"

"Trouble, as usual Connor," he replied, figuring on his next step. "Get the medbays ready, we have injured inbound. Speedy, probably Kara, Jinx, Mammoth, Ravager, Terra's probably just drained but her too, and likely Argent, Beast Boy and Cyborg."

"Next time tell me who's not injured... what the hell hit you guys?" Robin could hear the orders given on the other side of the Comm, Tower watch being the default leader in his absence. Happy that at least things were running efficiently if difficultly, he ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm afraid that's exactly what's hitting us," before Connor could ask what he meant by that, he closed the Comm to direct their evacuation. "You're Shimmer right?" When the girl by Mammoth nodded, he gave her a reassuring smile, leaning down to check on the large man's injuries himself. "Don't worry, right now we're all friends. Will you two be ok to get move to the Tower for some help?"

Nodding, Shimmer worried that Mammoth hadn't completely snapped back to himself. The hypnosis Blood, the previous one, had used was powerful but without time to program it well, tended to need eye contact. Mammoth shouldn't be recovering so slowly, "We'd appreciate any help."

Robin moved on, but stalled from a noise by the front line. He heard a name, and it chilled him at once and made his blood turn to fire.

Gripping his knee in bloody hands, Kid Flash fell with a cry, as Ravager stood by with a look of shock and betrayal on her unmasked face, slumping to the ground with the butt of a shotgun slowly moving away from her stomach, the impact winding her heavily. She seemed uninjured from the blow, as the the man who struck her lifted her onto a shoulder. Standing, his back to Robin and the other Titans was a silhouette he'd never mistake, but which he was desperately not pleased to see.

Clenching his teeth, Robin snapped a hand to the side, signaling Raven to go. She draped an arm around Jinx's waist and fell into shadow, as the Titan's leader glared at the man who single-handedly had nearly broke him and every one of his friends.

"Slade."

_I oOo I_

Raven wasn't one to mince words, so when Robin had motioned her off as he did, she didn't ask questions. "Hold tight, we're going to be doing a lot of shifting," she murmured to the Thief in her arms, who was protesting as much as holding her.

"That's fine and all, but do you have to carry me-EEEeee!" Falling through shadows suddenly, they reappeared a dozen feet away as the building wall Raven had been nearest exploded into rubble. "What the hell was that?"

"Him," Raven mouthed, glaring ebon eyes down the street at the man flying directly at them.

Glancing over her shoulder, Jinx's brow narrowed, but she stepped to the side of the Titan, giving her room to move. "Can you get the others on your own?" She asked quietly, keeping her eyes locked on the speeding form approaching them.

"Yes. But I'm not leaving you," the empath replied, sheathing her arms in black as she ripped a pair of lamp posts free, mimicking one of Robin's ready poses, the weapons mirroring her.

Smirking, Jinx took a breath, letting it out slowly. "Don't be silly. Something serious is up, and besides," grinning as her own eyes flared neon and black, the witch closed her fists with a crack, the force of her entropic power snapping around her hands like liquid flame. "It'll take you five minutes to go shadow-diving and get all the others home safe, if this fool's occupied.

"So come back in four," she snarled, jetting forward as if launched, curving the wind around her with a thought, forcing the air to fill the space she was in and riding those currents. The small conversation with the Other lurking inside her mind had opened up something, a reserve of understanding about her powers.

Luck had nothing to do with it. It was chance, probability. And she could play it like a harp. Bending air around her by making it's probability to shift into the space she was in, was child's play. Smirking at the surprise in her speed and sudden lunge registering on the unknown enemy's face, the witch voiced the one thing she'd taken from that conversation, laid low and dazed from the injury to her shoulder. "Nothing impossible..."

Clenching a fist, Raven watched as the one she cared about ran headlong into an unknown threat. Cursing her father and the madness of the day, she dropped her weapons and folded in on herself, not wasting the opportunity Jinx gave her.

She'd have to trust the girl to be alright, when she returned.

Psimon hadn't planned on running into the one his Lord sought so soon, but then neither did he expect a perfectly calculated strike to simply be ignored. Grunting in pain from a sudden impact, which felt like being hit with a sledgehammer in the ribs, the psion flew backward into a wall, dazed for the moment.

The thing riding Jinx cackled, a darker violet licking along her own neon force, as it leaked from her eyes, wafting on the air and dissipating as she moved. The man had struck at her with a blast of force, but she'd been able to see it coming, or rather react instantaneously to the strike by rolling to the side in her flight. Still adjusting to the odd prescience diving so deep into her powers was offering, the girl missed the telekinetic ally lifted lamp post Raven had discarded rising up and swatting her away like an errant insect. Jinx fell to the ground with a muffled thud, her impact softened by a line of shrubbery below. Coming up to hands and knees, she glared at the man dragging himself from the rubble of the wall she'd knocked him into.

Rising from the debris, Psimon snarled, his entire body shaking as he concentrated, and the area around him answered. Brick, mortar and cement broke free of their anchors, in a range amounting to a sphere around the psion. Veins defined on what skin was visible on his face, the telekinetic bent his will on all the matter, a strain even for one as mighty as him.

No more child's games. No more props, or silly attacks. He would utterly crush this brat, and be done with at least one annoyance. Permanently.

With a feral scream, the altered man drove the matter and debris in a crushing rush, collapsing it in a ball that got smaller, smaller, and denser as he twisted each molecule, forcing them to shift and adjust to his will, fitting mortar to pipe to cement on a nearly chemical level. As he watched, the equivalent of an apartment building's worth of material and mass was crushed into a ball, perfect and floating, six feet in diameter.

Panting, he grinned, feeling the vindication of slaying a foe when a small tap lighted on his shoulder. Turning to the voice at his shoulder, eyes wide, he was thrown to the ground by a fierce strike, the outline of it arcing neon like electricity. "Nice trick. My turn."

She'd seen the trap as it was sprung, but apparently the telekinetic fighting her hadn't been briefed on her recent... changes. Even if it was a recently learned talent, teleporting wasn't so hard as she remembered. With a cry she snapped a hand back, willing an entropic blade of force from her fist, slamming it with all her strength into the wiry man's jaw. Psimon's head snapped back on his neck, the motion on it's own sending him into a tumble to the ground, beyond the blow itself knocking him unconscious. Jinx's stared with manic glee as the man fell, the aura around her fist replenishing itself after veritably discharging with fatal force into the man. She didn't bother trying to fathom the effects of that much concentrated chaos jolting into someone with the intent to kill would cause, and didn't care.

Flinging her hand at the now falling sphere of concentrated city block, she laughed, a low, unpleasant sound that seemed to reverberate on itself. The thing listed to the side, unbound by Psimon's will, falling suddenly from it's position in air. Pink arcs of energy sent it careening directly for the misshapen man, and with a sound and impact that blew out windows two blocks away, the globe hit the crater and didn't move again.

Wavering where she floated, the pink-haired girl fell back to the earth, the fight over. Stumbling in her weariness, she thought to lean on a wall and relax till Raven returned, when her eyes widened suddenly. A pain like... a crowbar prising at her skull wrenched at the Thief, driving her stark upright. Slamming her head into a nearby wall, she gripped at her temples, eyes unseeing. Gulping a breath of air, Jinx screamed at the city around her, the sound resonating much further than it should have. Primal force screamed in her veins for release. She'd been drawing deeper and deeper on that thing, the Other inside her and it was getting harder to resist it, To keep that thing that was vitally Jinx in the front of her mind, and not the insidious and tempting call that seemed finally to make itself apparent. It had been quiet, almost unheard behind every thought, echoing in silences and resounding in the darkness behind her closed eyes for so long it seemed.

She was growing weary of resisting it.

_I oOo I_

Far away, blue eyes snapped to the sky outside a cheap hotel window, their owner stopping mid-word in a communication she was reading from the Watchtower, JLA central command. "Oh... no."

The two John's started, each consumed in their own thoughts as Zatanna burst into the room, looking for all the world as if she was scared. "Whats going on?" Stewart asked, instinctively sheathing himself in the uniform of the Lantern Corps, knowing whatever had her so worked up would be something he needed to act on.

Constantine worried at a tooth with a pick, sighing as he pulled a smaller pack from his duffel, slinging it over a shoulder. "I guess I should be happy I got to see this day, but damn, I kinna wish I'd gotten to go to a club first."

Looking from one to another, the Lantern glared, his eyes glowing a dangerous green in his annoyance. "What is it?" he asked again, not liking being left out of the loop.

"It's begun," Zatanna whispered, snapping herself out of the small stupor the backlash of whatever had alerted her wore off. Grabbing her hat and wand, she didn't bother opening the window, simply blasting it free of the wall. "We're too late," was her only reply, as she sped out into the midday air, leaving her two companions behind.

"To late?" the Lantern asked, looking to Constantine for an answer.

"End of the world mate, weekly feature down here. And it looks like we have the good seats."

The ex-Marine, having spent enough time in active duty to fully justify it, said the only thing that came to mind at that moment. "Fuck."

_I oOo I_

Raven had just spirited the last of the Titans to the Tower when a magical backlash of massive proportion nearly sat her on her rear, preparing to slide into shadow one last time to retrieve Jinx.

It had been tricky, when she got back to the main body of her team to find them wearily fending off what seemed to be an incensed Slade. Only Robin's quick thinking had saved them, but at a price.

That price was Slade Wilson himself, sitting and glowering at the young Detective as they sat at a table, inside of the Tower. Sparing her little more than a glance, the young leader asked what was wrong, but she only shook her head, folding away in shadow without another word.

His attention free, Robin turned it back to their unwelcome guest. "She'll be fine. The armor deflected the majority of the impact."

Eye narrowing in the cyclopean mask that shared the same colors as his daughter's, the mercenary-made-villain simply glared at his one-time apprentice. "You realize that this is your fault, don't you, boy," voice cast low and dangerous, the man didn't bother to mask the threat in his words.

"And I take responsibility for it, unlike you," Robin shot back. "She trained under you. She's your daughter, Slade. What she chooses to do with that training on the other hand, is her choice and hers alone.

"Don't lay the blame of who she is on me. She's chosen to be a Titan. But don't mistake that as absolving you of everything she is, Wilson," looking like nothing less than a young man with something foul in his mouth, the young Detective turned to get a glass of water.

Slade practically shook, sitting there being lectured by a boy, but regardless there was truth in his words. This boy, after all, was his one-time chosen apprentice. "Robin, make no mistake. If anything happens to Rose, I will kill you. I don't have the sentimental bend to keep loose ends hanging around like you do," Rising, Slade pulled the mask he wore free, revealing an older man with white hair to match Roses, his patch-covered eye the opposite of her own. "Look into my eye, boy," he hissed, spinning Robin around and forcing the young man to spill his water all over the taller man.

Slade didn't so much as blink, reaching out and forcing Robin's face up. "I promise you, if the Titans cause my only surviving child to come to harm, I. Will. Kill. You."

Shoving the man away, Robin sat his glass down hard enough to crack it. "Unlike you, we take care of our own," Robin snarled, his patience nearing it's end. "What the hell was that with Kid Flash? Explain that."

It was a compromise, Slade being there. Every other Titan was all for settling bets then and there, as young Wally West lay bleeding, his knee a ruin beneath his hands. Robin had to think fast, since his team was already battle-weary, and Slade looking crazed himself. He also needed to get Ravager to medical, her injury more serious than anyone wanted to admit. Telling Slade that they could do more for her than any hospital, or himself, he'd made a deal with the devil as it was, allowing the masked mercenary into their home as a compromise to get everyone there quickly.

He didn't have time for a battle, not with Flash and Rose bleeding to death in front of him.

"You throw children into a war, Robin. Surprised someone got hurt?" Mirthless, the jibe wasn't meant to be answered. "Listen, and well. I've lost two of my sons to these petty wars; my own and yours. I refuse to lose Rose. I don't care what cost." Leveling his glare on the young Detective again, Slade made it clear that he intended his words to be taken with as much gravity as possible. "You're all collateral damage waiting to happen, as far as I'm concerned."

Slamming his hand down on the table, Robin was suddenly staring down the barrel of a drawn pistol, but regardless he didn't flinch or look away. "And I'm telling you, we're a team. We don't leave anyone behind. Not me. Not Terra. Not Rose," reaching up, he shoved the barrel away from his face and sat heavily, glaring at the man across from him. "And it's impolite to point."

Smirking briefly, Slade sheathed the weapon and sat again, considering the youth before him. "You know what's going on. Do you think you can really protect her?"

"If anyone can, it's either you, or us," Robin answered, candidly. Glancing away, Slade nodded once, the rest of that statement not needing to be said. 'And she chose us.'

In the medical bays, Cyborg, Bumblebee and a nervous Shimmer worked from bed to bed, tending to the wounded as the various machinery of the Tower did as much as it could. Cyborg himself was in bad shape, most of his armor dented, or breached entirely, but only superficial systems had incurred any damage. A flesh wound, he'd called it. A night in the maintenance bay would see him good as new, but for now, he was the most able to assist the medbay computer in getting his battered team back in order. "Shimmer, get Connor. We need to ask him about Kara," he said quietly, finishing up on the stitches in Kid Flash's leg.

Messy work, but the young transmuter had been amazing help. Cyborg was stunned when he noticed that the speedster's knee was already mending, half healed but in all the wrong ways, when they'd arrived. Needing things to operate that there was no way he could get in time, he'd remember that Mammoth's little sister could synthesize anything she touched, into something else, and so had fed her some data on one of the medical computers.

Fifteen minutes later, he had a healing suppressant, and the material needed to do some real work on the injured youth. The operation had been messy, and long, but the results were looking good. Flash's healing was astounding, as fast as the young man himself, all Cyborg needed to do was set it in the right direction. Godspeed did the rest.

Bumblebee stood aside, as he approached. She was working on Ravager, the young woman sustaining an aggravated wound to her side by an armor piercing round tearing into her scaled mail. The result wasn't much different than a grenade going off in a concrete channel. Twisted metal had broken loose and complicated the injury, which was dangerously close to her spine and kidney. "Crazy girl, fighting while chewed up like she slept with a shark." Bumblebee nodded, going to check on Mammoth, where Shimmer was. She didn't want the worried sibling disturbing his rest, regardless of her concern.

"I've had worse dates than sharks," a strained voice replied, making him grateful again for computerized nerves rather than knee-jerk reactions of flesh and bone. Looking up, he met the one shock pale blue eye of Rose Wilson, as she lay motionless, watching him.

"Jesus, Rose. How long have you been awake?" the metal Teen asked, his hands stilling as he worried something was wrong beyond her injury. The girl simply should not be awake at this point.

Laughing once, wincing as the motion shot through her like electricity, the silver-haired girl stilled. "Since incision seven."

Cyborg would have paled if he could. He was currently on around the twentieth incision, cleaning up the wound and removing shrapnel. "Girl, you've got some solid steel balls in that armor," he murmured, looking up with his lips pursed. "How is the pain?"

Quirking a lip, she raised the opposite arm, pointing to her eye, the one obscured by the patch she was always wearing, "This was a ten. This," motioning to the ruin of her side, she let her hand fall back where it was. "Around a four."

Shaking his head, the Titan went back to his duties, trying to ignore the fact Rose was awake and watching him as he cut into her again. "Want me to get you more drugs, this isn't something most people want to watch," he asked, hoping for his own nerves she'd accept the offer.

Nodding once, she simply looked away, closing her good eye. "Up the clinical dosage to fifteen times, and make it a non-salinated drip. My metabolism eats that stuff like candy."

Cyborg debated making Shimmer magic him up some more medical supplies, before they parted company. With Rose on the payroll, it may be necessary.

Mammoth still hadn't woken up, but they assured her it was just a healing sleep, not an injury itself that keep him from waking. Shimmer sat and worried at his hand, big enough to engulf her head but slack as it lay on the large medical cot. "It'll be ok, Baran. I won't let Blood near you again," she murmured, cursing herself for not backing out of that fool's errand, that led them back to the ruined Hive headquarters.

"He was part of why we all made it out of there," a voice said, that she recognized belonged to Brant. She turned, looking at him briefly, his arm in a sling. Managing to avoid injury but being in the middle of the action the entire time, he had jumped in front of one of Slade's shots, blocking the round from striking Raven and Jinx as they'd made a hasty exit for some errand Robin had sent them on. Realizing that was likely why he seemed so tense still, she nodded once.

Running he hand over her brother's slack cheek once more, she stood and motioned for the door. She didn't want to wake him, unless he was ready. Stepping outside into the small foyer that passed for a waiting room in the Titan's medical wing, she sighed and slumped, letting the tension of the last few hours finally show. "I know. I know he was brave and wonderful." Shaking her head, she sat heavily, not looking up from the floor. "Blood is dangerous. We've... we've all been too long around him and that damn hypnosis.

"I hate it," she hissed, leaning back finally. Brant simply stood nearby, nodding slowly.

"He'll be fine. Cyborg said it was just a programmed weakness, that the other Brother Blood had instilled in them," sitting nearby, he settled his injured arm away from the arm rest, and leaned back himself.

Shimmer grinned slightly, realizing this was the first time she'd ever seen the man relax. "Are you worried about Jinx?" She asked, needing to break and keep the silence at bay. Silence let her think. Thinking meant worry.

"I'm worried that what's been eating her up inside will get the better of her," he said cryptically, shaking his head slowly. "Too much has happened, too quickly. It's as if the hand of the clock is being sped up, and we, she particularly, is striving to keep up."

Sighing, Selinda looked to her hands and then back to the man. "What about Fee? She seemed... I don't know. Broken, or something, in her mind after the battle Jinx and Raven fought."

"It was a bit... excessive," the bodyguard admitted, remembering the manic flurry of his own charge, the deadly light she wielded like blades from her hands and a glint of madness in her eyes. Beyond that, was the nightmare-made-woman that Raven became, loosing lesser horrors in legion on the hapless drones. "I've never seen the like of that. I hope never to again."

"Yeah..." shaking the memories off, Shimmer looked up as Bumblebee came in, minus her powered suit and the more recent medical smock and mask. "How are they, Karen?" she asked, memories of the girl's time in the Hive giving her a name, if little else. She'd been in a different area, and was only superficially aware of the dark-skinned girl and her past. Mammoth spoke well of her, regardless of her role in the downfall of the Hive; real kindness and a good personality seemed to be qualities to separate her from the crowd.

Perhaps that was why Cyborg trusted her with such critical tasks as healing his friends.

"They'll be fine, everyone seems to have been just knocked around more than anything," the other woman said, joining them in relaxing. "Rose and Flash were the worst, Kara's just sleeping off some psychic attack according to Connor, and Mammoth pretty much the same. Other than that... well I guess Raven and Jinx, when they get back and everyone's accounted for."

Brant fidgeted, an odd sight for a man of his usually calm demeanor. Shimmer raised a brow, but knew the reason for his anxiety.

It had been an hour or more, and yet Jinx and Raven were still unaccounted for.

_I oOo I_

"Jinx," the quiet voice called to her, again. She wanted to shove it away but it seemed to be wrapped around her. "Jennifer, come back to me," it coaxed, and with a feeling like swimming through mud, she tried to find the voice, if only to punch it in the face so she could sleep.

Blinking at the lack of light when she opened an eye, Jinx none the less found it too much and closed it again. "Holy fuck what hit me," she groaned, the spike of pain shooting through her skull enough to make her nauseous.

She recognized the chuckle, the light rasp familiar like her own bed. Raven's hand, she assumed it was hers, with her voice so near, smoothed her disheveled hair from her forehead. "Apparently, most of this block."

"Right, I was playing catch with Atlas," the Thief quipped, going still as her own voice set up some nasty reverberations in her head. "Ow." Trying to sit up, a gentle pressure lay against her chest, pushing her back down. Not willing to open her eyes quite yet, she made an unhappy noise.

"Stay down, you're winded and it was a bit... trying, to get you all sorted out when I showed up." Raven's voice was quiet, thankfully, but her words were worrisome. Jinx knew she didn't get hit by the city block she'd dropped on that psycho, but it felt like she had.

Sighing, she relaxed for the time being, content that Raven was near at least. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to piece the last moments after the fight back in order. So far it wasn't working.

Raven looked to the devastation, the mass of crushed and compressed city block resting nearby, a smaller crater cradling it inside the larger one that had spawned it. The forces needed to do that kind of damage were stupefying, but she knew those weren't Jinx's hallmarks. That she'd gone toe-to-toe with someone who had done so, made her sick inside. "I had to shove you back into one piece. You and your... twin were fighting, when I got back." Recalling the sight, Raven's lips thinned. She'd arrived soon after that explosion of magical energy, washing over the town and everyone in it. Soon she'd have to look into what it had done, on it's own, but her immediate concern had been Jinx.

Finding the girl, she was instantly reminded of the odd attack on her mind, as the thing she saw was that same face, and semblance. What looked like a shadow, an inverse image of Jinx seemed to be grappling with the prone Thief, vying for purchase as it was literally dragging itself free of her. Seemingly bound, the image was only a torso, folded out of Jinx's own and struggling it appeared to pull the rest of her form free of the Thief's body when Raven had shaken off her initial shock and knowing noting else to do, had used her knowledge of magic to rebind the thing back to Jinx, worrying that perhaps she was doing more harm than good.

At hearing Raven's comment about her Twin, Jinx winced. Things made much more sense. "Sorry, things have been getting difficult recently." Not wanting to burden the Titan with more, she quieted, and lay back.

"Stay still, I'm going to get us to the Tower," Raven said, but rather than the now-familiar chill of her power washing over her, she instead heard a muffled thump and the Titan hiss in pain. Snapping her eyes open, she winced, but took in the scene with photographic clarity.

Between them stood a luminous green barrier, the light it seemed made of trailing back to a man in a familiar uniform. "John?," she murmured, the light spearing into her eyes and making them water.

Recognition lit in his eyes, but the barrier remained, as Raven stood and seemed to bow slightly. "Remove the gimmick. Now," her voice low and rasping more than just a moment before, Jinx could guess where this was going already.

Closing her eyes and taking a steadying breath she flipped forward, standing suddenly. The motion made her feel sick, but she fought it down. "Put it away, John. Who else is with you; the League doesn't do solo assignments," she asked, ears and eyes alert for any treachery. She had no reason to truly fear the League, but at this point she felt it foolish to wantonly endanger herself or Raven, regardless.

A khaki clad man, ragged and rough stumbled up, a glinting something in his hand, while behind him Zatanna walked up, her uniform, as Jinx ruefully recalled, in place. "Ah," was her only response, stumbling slightly as Raven shot her a glance, questioning. In answer she shrugged, closing her eyes again. She didn't need them. "I imagine... this has something to do with us. Me and that avatar of Chaos riding inside my skull and you with the apocalypse written on your pretty hide," she murmured, voice cast for Raven alone.

The Titan turned slowly and snapped a hand in a small gesture, a black slice of nothing bisecting the light from the Lantern's ring, letting her make contact with the Thief. She'd had too many things try and keep them apart recently; the League, the Hive, Blood... all of it. She wasn't dealing with it any more. To hell with the rest of the world; she wanted some small time with the one she cared about, and at this point, Trigon himself would have to wait if she was at stake.

Zatanna's eyes widened, as she took in the amount of power needed to simply... force one of the Oan rings like Raven had. "She's gotten stronger," the witch murmured, voice cast for those nearby.

Constantine sighed, looking to his companions with a look of long suffering. "Well, black magic woman, what's the order of the day?"

Raven's eyes narrowed, while Jinx barely stood where she was.

Zatanna sighed, their orders, despite her own attempts had been clear. Time had run out, on their gambit to contact and asses things. Jinx was on the verge of being overshadowed by her Demiurge, and here was Raven, her entire body scribed with a spell to open up hell itself. Raising her wand, she cast the first stone. "Restrain the demon; secure Wrangler. We take her back to the Watchtower."

That's when Raven had decided that enough was enough. "Fuck. You."

The shadows around the three League operatives literally opened up, clawing, snarling arms grasping and grappling with the three as they stood there dumbfounded. Constantine, most used to dealing with demons swore, turning his weapon to bear against the Darklings that surged up at him, "Christ, what the hell is this?" firing a round of blessed silver, the shot obliterated a shadow, but more rose up from it's place, all bearing the four wicked slashes for eyes marking them of Skath.

Raven bore those same eyes, as her hand snaked out and took Jinx's own. "Mercy?" She rasped, her voice a thing of dry branches grating against windows at midnight. Jinx merely nodded, before curling against the Titan's suddenly mobile cloak, the thing whipping around and enfolding her.

Staring out at the beleaguered League operatives, she sighed. "Lucky, that she's feeling compassionate. For I am not." The two ceased to be, where once they had been and the operatives found the demonic shadows suddenly only the stuff of imagining, having no power in Raven's absence.

"Well, Zee honey, I think that could have gone better," Constantine muttered, while the other John looked incredulously at his ring, unbelieving it would fail him so dramatically. Zatanna shot him a withering look.

"Watchtower said to neutralize the primary threat," she murmured, shaking her head and sitting heavily in the afternoon gloom. "I know we could make contact with the Tower and find them, but it'd be a cool welcome, at best," she mused, kicking at a stone. Their initial plan to contact Jinx, and then by proxy Raven to assess the situation before time grew short seemed to have failed almost as they took it. Now, it was all down to damage control. "No choice – they went there. We go as well."

"Now hold on a bloody moment," Constantine argued, sheathing his shotgun with a sound of finality. "Three of us, against a tower full of hormone-laden, teenage, superpowered brats?" His brow raised as he shook his head. "No 'ay in hell."

Rolling her eyes, the witch muttered a spell and reached out, hooking a finger into his coat. "Oot gniog er'uoy."

"Daft wit-!" The protesting Briton's cry echoed over the Bay city ruins, as the three followed Raven's example and ceased to be there.

_I oOo I_

Raven stumbled, more than landed, onto her bed, falling flat as the shifting from shadowrealm to her room finished. "Mmph. You're hurt. Need to get you to the medbay," she mumbled, exhausted from expenditures of the day.

Her guest was little better, simply toppling over where she'd appeared, curled up on the floor. "Can't believe you did that. Isn't there like a fine or something for being a hero, and attacking League members?" Murmuring, she closed her eyes and pulled more of the errant blanket from Raven's bed onto herself.

"Don't bleed on that, it's silk," the Titan chided, clearing her mind enough to check in with the others. "Robin, Raven here. Back to base."

"Copy," was the terse reply. Rolling her eyes, Raven figured he was in another of his typical bad moods. And people called her Emo. "Right, bandaids. Biiiig bandaids," she muttered, moving a few steps before deciding flying was just easier. "C'mon you."

"No. Sleepy," Jinx complained, muttering about bleeding on sheets when she was snatched up by Raven's kinesis. "No faaaair. I was comfy."

Smiling slightly, the Titan wrapped her cloak around the girl, opting to use her own power to effect one, for the moment. When Jinx sighed and settled into the azure cloth, Raven shuffled them to the bay, too exhausted to teleport again. "Medbay, Raven here. Two inbound, one injury. Prep for Jinx," she signaled onto her Comm, not surprised when a relieved looking Cyborg answered.

"Well, small dark and ghastly's back. Get any candy while you were out?" Ever the one to joke, even with his head literally dented, or perhaps because of... the metal Teen still brought a smile to her face.

Smirking, she stumbled, her vision unfocusing in her exhaustion. "No, but I picked you up a sandwich," she muttered, making sure Jinx floated unjostled nearby.

"Oh, awesome," Cyborg practically cheered, "I was getting hungry. What kind you bring me?"

"Knuckle," the stoic girl answered, without missing a beat.

_I oOo I_

Bumblebee had seen some bad fights, and the aftermath of them before, but this took the cake. "So here's the rundown... and I'm listing everyone, seeing as they're in the damn beds," eye twitching, she dared anyone at the table to argue, as she continued.

"Injuries currently limiting the functionality of members;

"Jinx, with a gunshot wound to the shoulder, a mild concussion, possible psychic backlash from an unknown source, general exhaustion.  
"Brant, with a fractured tibia, resulting from a gunshot wound," Glaring at the masked mercenary present, she none the less continued.  
"Ravager, massive internal damage to the torso and abdomen, who is restricted to bed rest for one week, minimum unless I release her.  
"Kid Flash, suffering an obliterated patella, and an exposed and ruptured knee capsule. Recovery uncertain, one week minimum observation.  
"Mammoth, due to massive psychological trauma, but who is physically alright.

"Other injuries minor and not restricting roster activity. List follows," clearing her throat, she began the task of calling out various injuries the Titans and their allies had suffered at the hands of their recent enemies.

"Raven, exhaustion,  
"Terra, exhaustion.  
"Beast Boy, minor mental strain, exhaustion.  
"Cyborg, chassis damage, superficial systems malfunction.  
"Supergirl, minor psychological trauma.  
"Starfire, chemical burns and minor contusions.  
"Shimmer, psychological and mental strain.  
"Speedy, minor contusions, fractured rib.  
"Argent, exhaustion, minor contusions, minor concussion.  
"And I've got a fucking headache this big," holding her hands out at their limit, the girl turned and left, leaving the meeting to progress without her.

Running a hand through his hair, the young Detective sighed. "We really got it handed to us out there. Where did Blood get all these shock troops?"

Slade, leaned back, but made a derogatory noise. "Did you ever recon the old Hive, for the number of people there?"

Nodding, Robin pulled up the lists and broke them down into the different categories. "Drones, school officials, students, faculty and active agents not qualifying otherwise," he said, pointing out the various numbers.

"List the approximate number of Zealots, by what Raven's team and yours observed," the mercenary suggested, causing Robin to rankle in his seat. Regardless, he entered the data. "Now, remove the approximate death toll listed by Shimmer and Mammoth's reports, and those confirmed arrests and reports from the police, as well as known loose individuals," Slade said, and Robin got to work.

A few moments later, a new set of numbers appeared and Robin's eyes widened. "No way. That's just not possible."

"When you remove all other options, what remains must be true," the mercenary said quietly, watching the slightly flickering screen. The numbers weren't exact – they couldn't be. But it was too close to be coincidence. Blood had either acquired, forcefully, a massive number of new recruits... or he had resolved to build his army out of any survivor, regardless of age or ability he could find.

Robin's fist creaked with the strain of his clenched fingers. "Brainwashing everyone.. that goddamn monster. We have to go in there, and shut him down."

Slade gestured to the remaining readout, from the medical lab and shook his head slowly, in answer. "With what? Your team is in shambles. If he strikes out again, there won't be time to muster, much less stop them. You're resources are limited.

"Mine on the other hand, are currently... untapped."

Robin was nearly ready to launch a scathing remark when Cyborg, looking as weary as he'd seen him, came in on the nearby display. "Bad news, Fearless. League is knocking." Looking over his shoulder, the metal Teen's mouth thinned to a line. "I hate coincidences."

"You and me both," Robin sighed, gritting his teeth. One more complication... "I'll be right down." Rising without another word, he'd almost reached the door when he stopped, head shaking slowly.

"Why did you attack the city, us, so many times?"

Slade, knowing he could be the only target for such a question, stood and rotated his shoulder, the bones cracking loudly. "To test you. Because I was paid well. To show Rose what she too, one day would face."

Nodding slowly, the young Detective didn't turn, but also didn't continue on his way to meet the League. "Did I pass?"

"Flying colors," the man said, with a slight smirk lifting his lip.

Robin was still a long time, immobile. Finally, seeming to resolve some internal struggle he sighed. "Call your resources. Name your price."

"Very good. My services are never cheap... but in this case I think you may not mind so much the bill," pulling a small remote from his belt, the mercenary simply clicked a trigger switch and replaced it. A smug look on his features, he crossed to where Robin stood, laying a hand on the young man's shoulder. "And as for price...

"Train her. Remove her faults. Your time under the Bat, your training with various masters, and your age... remarkable talent." Looking down the hall to the medical bays, the man's eye seemed to harden, his expression going cold. "When she comes back to me, I want her perfected. See to it." With nothing further to add, Slade Wilson moved past the immobile Robin, on his way to oversee whatever assistance it had been he called.

Unsure if he'd made the right decision, Robin regardless knew that if Slade was offering them help, the obvious answers to how and why and at what cost were never all that was there. Something else would be added, come apparent and he knew that it'd be trouble for the Titans. He only hoped it wouldn't cause them more grief than what it prevented. Gritting his teeth, the young man turned to the monitor and keyed in a communication sequence only he knew.

"Master Richard, how nice to see you again," the careworn face of his one-time minder answered almost immediately, a small smile apparent on his aged features. "Shall I get-"

"No, not this time, Alfred." Shaking his head, he was still wary to call on, or call at all, Bruce. Things had not gone well, when his former mentor had asked for him to release the Robin identity, for a new apprentice to take up. Regardless, he'd done so, but still used the colors for the time being. Things were moving more and more it seemed, to push him to that new persona. Shrugging to himself, he decided that soon he'd finish the new suit, and things would be complete. No reasons to stall, then. "I was actually looking to talk to one of the family."

Blinking once, a sign that he was surprised, the Wayne family butler nodded. "And who may I contact for you, Master Richard?"

"I need to talk to Barbara Gordon."

"Right away," Alfred answered, keying the video to standby, the connecting notice on the screen showing Robin that he was routing the call to the intended recipient.

Shortly a large, stylized eye logo appeared, taking the place of the video feed. "Oracle," it answerer simply, in a voice he knew despite the mechanical filter it was being fed into.

"Barbara, it's Richard."

The feed closed down and a woman his own age looked up into the camera, glasses in place above a slight scowl. "It's been a while, Rich. What has you calling on the Bird's nest these days?"

Shaking his head, he smiled regardless. "Not really needing the team, but I'm glad to hear the Birds are still doing alright," he said with a slight tinge of nostalgia. The Birds of Prey were a code they used for a small force of rag-tag heroes, that Barbara had collected info and favors from, and occasionally used as operatives. It wasn't a regular thing, by any means, but it sometimes kept them in contact when something big was up, around his area.

"So is this a social call? You know this isn't a webcam show," she joked, reaching off the video screen and retrieving a takeout box of Chinese.

"Sadly, no. I need some information," Richard replied, noting the playful smile on her features. It had been some time, since he'd been in contact with his longtime friend and ally, something he hoped to change soon. "Brother Blood, Trigon, whatever you can dig up on Rose Wilson and Slade Wilson, and if you can manage it," smiling warmly, he leaned closer to the screen, mocking to peer around the edge, "clear some time for a visit. It's been way too long."

"A tall order and a social call, my my, it is indeed my lucky day," the redhead drawled, smiling as she entered information into her systems. "This'll take a while to finish up. I'll get back to you on that schedule day. Are we a pair or should we double?"

"Double," Robin replied, noting only a slight dimming of Barbara's smile. It had been a while since the two had been somewhat closer, back in Gotham really, but still he missed the Commissioner's daughter, her humor and wit. "You know where to find me," Robin said as way of parting, not trusting himself to much else in that way.

"Sure thing, chief," she said with a smirk. "Just look for the spike in FashionNews on illegal use of spandex colors."

"Not for much longer," cutting the feed, he leaned back and considered his options. The League had sent him more resources, almost as the surge in Blood's forces and his own agenda came. Then there was the psychic that had surprised Kara and Speedy's team, and almost gotten the better of them. Too many coincidences. But if there were a common thread tying them together, Barbara could find it.

Since her crippling at the hands of the Joker, she'd taken up a new role, that of Batgirl far behind her. Never one to sit idly by, as Robin and his mentor knew well, she'd started using her massive network of contacts to start information brokering. The benefit had been immediate and amazing, and outside of the Watchtower and the Manhunter's own efforts, not much rivaled her ability to gather intel, particularly when it came to matters relevant to the hero community.

Robin's Comm bleeped, and he growled at it. "Robin here."

Connor's face appeared on the screen, looking somewhat confused, "Fearless, you call in the cavalry?"

Blinking in confusion, Robin keyed the meeting room computer to display the security network, "No, what's up?" Asking while accessing the data himself, he wasn't surprised when Superboy informed him of their new arrivals.

"League just showed up," sliding his glasses up back into place, the young Kryptonian turned and keyed off the Comm, while Robin inspected the new visitors via the Tower security.

"Oh this..." Looking over the three assembled outside the Tower doors, growing more impatient by the moment, Robin couldn't help but sigh. "This is not going to be good."

_I oOo I_

"There you are," Jinx mumbled quietly, as Fee shuffled into the room, looking more waifish than ever in the oversized t-shirt and cargo pants she'd borrowed. Sometime during the fight in the wreckage of the Hive, her clothes had been torn and ruined, so on arriving she'd asked Terra for something to wear, the two being closest to size.

Nodding, the demoness pulled up a chair and sat beside her mistress, looking over her injuries with a worried expression creasing her brow. "How is your shoulder?" She asked, reaching out to run a hand along the prone girl's arm, settling the thin sheet over the IV's there.

Smiling slightly, the weary girl sighed. "Not so good. I heal fast, but it'll be sore and in bad shape for a few weeks I think." Eyes closing, she settled back into the pillow further, looking pensive. Fee worried at the room, straitening, fixing things to be more comfortable when Jinx called her back to the bedside. "What can you see?"

"Pardon?" Opening her eyes, the succubus looked about the room, not seeing anything outwardly wrong, till her vision swept back over Jinx herself. Her sharp intake of breath told the prone Thief all she needed to know.

"That bad... huh." Wincing slightly, Jinx sat up and looked down at herself. "At least I'm all me at the moment, I guess. Little things have been slipping, you know?" When her demon ward nodded, the Thief grinned slightly, "Oh well. So... what do you think will happen?"

Fee looked away, trying to avoid the question, moving to the window slowly. "I've never had anyone with this... problem," she searched for a better word, but really could think of no other. "I'm sorry, Jennifer. This is my fault."

"How do you figure?"

Sighing, Fee turned and resumed her pacing, Jinx's coral eyes tracking her as she walked the perimeter of the room. "If you'd not taken that Mirror route-"

Jinx's laughter cut her off, as she leaned back in the bed, forcing it to creak slightly. "Nope, try again. It was there before then."

"Regardless, if it hadn't woken up," the succubus stated, refusing to accept Jinx's dismissal of her role in this, "things would have taken much longer to get to this point."

"Perhaps," Jinx agreed, staring at her feet thoughtfully, bunching the sheet with her toes as she lay. "Tell me, what do you know about something called the Demiurge?"

Eyes wide with surprise, Fee sat and worried at her lip for a moment, scouring her memory for all she knew of the idea. "Well, depending on the source... it's the name for Chaos. In it's creative form, at least. Think of it this way..." holding up a hand, she paused, gathering her thoughts. "Ok, this hand is the stuff the universe is made of, but without bonds. Kinda like universe soup.

"This hand is like um..."

"Jello molds?" Jinx offered, making the slight demoness giggle.

Nodding, Fee went on. "Universe Jello molds, now," wiggling the soup-hand, she went on. "So, in the generally taken idea on how this universe began, there was the Demiurge, and the Shaper." She wiggled the Jello mold hand at that point. "When the Creator decided to make things, it's will was carried out by those two forces.

"The Demiurge spun the stuff of creation, and the Shaper gave it form."

Jinx considered this a moment, her eyes distant and unseeing. Fee nearly asked her if she would like her to leave, so she could rest when the Thief took a deep breath, "so... I get it now. By chance um, I realize you've probably used those names or heard them used for a while now yeah?" When the blonde demon nodded, Jinx smirked. "Figured so. So this... Shaper. I get the feeling it wasn't just a force, faceless with how you said the name, was it?"

Shaking her head, Fee looked away again, growing nervous. "No, the Creator formed the Demiurge and the Shaper to make this universe, but when the Shaper wished to craft things of it's own design, the fundamental ideal of it was lost. The universe made, he wasn't needed to keep it turning, but still was far too powerful to be unmade. Besides..." Sighing, Fee met the Thief's eyes and held them, gold on coral. "He was said to be the most beautiful of the Creator's design."

"And so wasn't destroyed, merely cast down," Jinx added, reaching up to rub at her eyes. "And now he runs a piano bar in Los Angeles."

"So you've said," the demure demoness replied, reaching out to take Jinx's hand. The Thief squeezed her fingers lightly, laying back with a sigh. "Jinx, what did you do, there?"

"Made deals," the other girl said, quietly. Fee figured that was all she'd get for an answer, but nearly a minute later Jinx spoke again, voice cast quietly. "I wonder... what I've done. I mean, if this plan of his saves Raven, that means her father looses, right?" Laughing quietly, she seemed to be speaking more to herself than her demon ward.

"But does it end there? What kind of thing could he want with... " trailing off, she looked down again, eyes unfocused to Fee's gaze as her coral eyes rested on the rise and fall of her breath. Or perhaps she was seeing something only she knew.

Sighing, she banged her head on the bed, startling Fee. "Lucifer, you bastard, what are you planning?"

* * *

A/N: Laying groundwork for an entire universe is tiring. I should note, here, that I'm COMPLETELY AU'ing the DCU at this point.

I wanted Oracle, an in-transition Nightwing, as well as the motley Titans from this continuity to mingle with a certain mix of young heroes already in the DCU. So basically... I think I should rig up a timeline, and some sidework to get the foundation more secure. So people know what's going on.

So much going on... next should tighten the focus down a bit in places.


End file.
